At least 43 soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing claimed by ISIS in Yemen’s southern city of Aden on Sunday.

A bomber blew himself up among a crowd of soldiers gathered to collect their salaries at al-Solban base in northeastern Aden.

The attack has killed 43 soldiers and injured scores, a Yemeni medical source said on condition of anonymity because he was unauthorized to speak to media.
ISIS has swiftly claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a statement circulated on social media, ISIS said a group member had detonated his explosive vest at a gathering of soldiers in Aden, killing 70 of them.

Last week, ISIS claimed a suicide bombing in the southern city, which killed more than 50 soldiers.

Aden is currently the temporary seat of the Yemeni government, which was forced to flee Sanaa in late 2014 after Houthi rebels overran the capital and other provinces.

Last year, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and restoring the embattled government.

Two rounds of UN-backed peace talks have failed to resolve the raging conflict, in which thousands of Yemenis are believed to have been killed and an estimated 2.5 million forced to flee their homes.

PHOTO CAPTION

Yemenis gather at Hur Mekser region in Aden on December 18, 2016, after a suicide bomber targeted a crowd of soldiers.

AA