Europe News Desk!! A roadside bomb explosion in Yemen’s southern province of Abyan killed a senior commander of government forces. A security official gave this information to an international news media portal. Soldier Shaif Bakri, who was serving as the commander of the third battalion of government security belt forces, was killed in a roadside bomb blast on Thursday, a local security official said on condition of anonymity. He said three of his guards were also injured in the explosion, Xinhua news agency reported. According to the official, the injured guards were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Tension is rising in Abyan as al-Qaeda has taken advantage of the current instability caused by Yemen’s years-long military conflict to gain a foothold in the region. The Yemen-based al-Qaeda terrorist group has been responsible for a surge in attacks against government forces, intelligence officers and military infrastructure, further exacerbating an already dire situation in the war-torn Arab country. In an effort to combat the growing terror threat, government forces backed by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition have launched several large-scale military operations against al-Qaeda targets in recent months. However, Yemeni government forces have not been able to eliminate militant groups entrenched in various mountainous regions of Abyan and other neighboring southern provinces. Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, with Houthi rebels fighting against the internationally recognized government and its allies.
–IANS
World News Desk!!
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