International
Nasser Awad / Reuters
A huge explosion killed the governor of Yemen's southern Aden province and six of his bodyguards Sunday, security officials said. The attack was later claimed by a local affiliate of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Gov. Gaafar Mohamed Saad was traveling to his office when the explosion struck his convoy in the southern port city. Authorities are investigating the exact cause of the explosion. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
An ISIL affiliate claimed the attack in a statement circulated online by supporters, saying the bomb was concealed in a parked car along the convoy's route. The group referred to Saad as a "tyrant" and warned the "heads of the infidels" in Yemen that it would carry out "operations to chop off their rotten heads."
ISIL has claimed a series of bombings that this year has killed 159 people and wounded 345 in Yemen, according to an Associated Press count.
ISIL fighters have been able to expand their reach in the chaos of Yemen's larger conflict, which is between a loose array of pro-government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and Shiite Houthi rebels, who control the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of northern Yemen. Pro-government forces drove the Houthis out of Aden earlier this year.
A local Al-Qaeda affiliate has exploited the chaos to seize territory in Yemen's south and east, and has a growing presence in Aden. On Saturday, masked gunmen in Aden killed a military intelligence official and a judge known for sentencing Al-Qaeda fighters. No one claimed those attacks.
The United Arab Emirates' minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, condemned the killing of the Aden governor and described the perpetrators as "treacherous terrorists."
"These crimes will not discourage our common resolve to restore security and stability throughout the brotherly nation of Yemen," he said in a statement carried by state news agency WAM.
The Associated Press
Analysis: In midst of security vacuum, Aden could see surge of activity by Islamic State fighters and supporters
Riyadh is pushing to extend the conflict into key areas of the country where Houthi rebels will offer much resistance
Prime minister and other officials escape unharmed; ISIL claims responsibility for attack that killed at least 15 people
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