A suicide car bomber attacked a checkpoint near a military base in southern Yemen on Wednesday, killing 25 soldiers, local security officials said.
The attack in Aden left eight others injured, according to three local security officials. It targeted a checkpoint outside the Al Solban military base.
After the bomb, a group of militants raided the base, leading to hours of clashes from within the facility. Dozens of rocket-propelled grenade rockets were launched at the base.
The attackers were dressed as government soldiers, allowing them to seize control of a military building inside the base, officials said.
“Majority of the government troops were not inside the base at the time of the attack and were celebrating the Muslim Eid holiday with their families,” a senior Aden security official said.
Black smoke covered the skies nearby as the clashes continued. The local government in Aden announced the closure of Aden International Airport after the attacks near the airport.
The attack comes after a series of suicide bombings in Aden since government forces supported by the Saudi-led coalition liberated the city from the Houthis last July.
Militants have killed at least 140 security and military officials over the past seven months. The governor of Aden was also assassinated last December.
Last week, four suicide car bombings in Yemen killed at least 42 people, including 35 soldiers and a child.
The attacks targeted security positions in Mukalla, a southeastern port city in Hadramout province. At least 30 others were injured, all security officers except for five civilians, according to two officials in the provincial governor’s office.
