Twin Suicide Bombings In Yemen Kill At Least 45, Army Recruits Targeted

Two suicide bombings have killed at least 45 people in Yemen’s southern city of Aden. The blasts occurred in the Khor Maksar district of the port city and reportedly targeted young men seeking to join the army.

According to the Associated Press, officials said that one suicide car bomber targeted a line outside an army recruitment center, killing at least 20 people. The second bomber, on foot, detonated his explosive vest among a group of recruits waiting outside the home of an army commander, killing at least 25.

The Yemeni officials were not authorized to brief the media and reportedly spoke on a condition of anonymity.

Aden serves as the temporary capital of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government while it seeks to gain control of the capital, Sanaa, from the Houthi rebels. The Shiite rebel group is reportedly allied with former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The conflict between the two sides has created a power vacuum that has been exploited by al-Qaeda- and Islamic State-allied groups.

Similar incidents in February and April killed 13 army recruits in one case and four people in the other, according to Reuters. The responsibility for these attacks was claimed by the Islamic State group, or ISIS.