Aden, Oct 31 (Reuters) – An explosion near the entrance to the international airport of Yemen’s southern port city of Aden on Saturday resulted in at least six deaths and around 20 injured, a senior security source and a medical source told Reuters, but it was not clear whether the incident was an attack.
An airport official said a small truck blew up at an outer gate to the airport, while a local official and two security sources said the vehicle was carrying petroleum products.
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The blast was strong and was heard across the city. Nearby residents’ windows were smashed.
Aden is the temporary home of Yemen’s internationally-recognised government, which has as part of a coalition backed by Saudi Arabia been fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi group for around seven years.
But tensions have also for years simmered within Aden itself between the government and southern separatist groups.
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The government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) are nominal allies under the Saudi-led coalition.
Earlier this month a car bomb in Aden targeting a convoy carrying the city’s governor – an STC member – killed at least six people and wounded others. The governor survived.
A December 2020 attack on Aden airport killed at least 22 people. An investigation by a U.N. team of experts found the Houthis responsible for the attack that used missiles.
Instability in the south complicates United Nations-led peace efforts to end the war in Yemen, which has killed tens of thousands of people and left 80% of the population needing help.
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