Explosions rock Saudi military headquarters in Yemen's Abyan province

Explosions rock Saudi military headquarters in Yemen's Abyan province
At least two explosions were heard near the Shakra High School building in Abyan, where the Saudi-led coalition has reportedly set up base.
2 min read
04 January, 2021
More than 100,000 people have been killed in Yemen [File Photo: Getty]
A Saudi military headquarters in Yemen's southern Abyan province was rocked by two explosions on Sunday, local media reported.

The cause of the blasts, which were heard near the Shakra High School building which is reportedly being used as a military site by the Saudi-led coalition, are yet to be confirmed, Almasdar Online reported. 

Neither the coalition nor the Yemeni government has publicly addressed the incident. 

The headquarters hosts the Saudi Military Committee and includes army officers, military equipment, vehicles, and heavy machine guns.

The committee is tasked with implementing the 2019 Riyadh Agreement signed between the former Yemeni government and the Transitional Council.

The blast struck just days after 26 people, most civilians, were killed in three explosions that targeted Aden International Airport.

Wednesday's airport attack took place just moments after a plane carrying members of Yemen's cabinet landed on a flight from the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Three precision-guided missiles targeted the plane carrying the ministers, and struck the airport, the arrival hall, and VIP lounge, according to Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed.

The war in Yemen began in 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels overran the north and the capital, Sanaa. The following year, a Saudi-led military coalition intervened to halt the Houthi offensive as it moved south and restore President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government back to power. Hadi has been living in Riyadh.

Yemen's internationally-recognised government has accused the Houthis of carrying out the airport attack as well as a drone assault on the Masheeq Palace in Aden shortly after.

Houthi officials have denied any role in the attacks and have sought to blame unspecified groups in the Saudi-led coalition. The rebel leaders have not offered any evidence or answered requests for comment to back up their claims. 

Read more: Five women killed in Yemen wedding attack

The Yemeni ministers were returning to Aden from Riyadh after being sworn in last week as part of a cabinet reshuffle following a unity deal. 

The changes were part of an agreement reached between the Yemeni government and the Emirati-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), an umbrella group of militias seeking to restore an independent southern Yemen, which existed from 1967 until unification in 1990.

Yemen's government has generally operated from self-imposed exile in Riyadh during the country's years-long civil war.

Over the past five years, the war has killed more than 112,000 people and has triggered what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram to stay connected