Bloody Day in Aden, Yemen's Legitimacy Blames Iran

Soldiers react after a missile attack on a military parade during a graduation ceremony for newly recruited troopers in Aden, Yemen August 1, 2019. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman
Soldiers react after a missile attack on a military parade during a graduation ceremony for newly recruited troopers in Aden, Yemen August 1, 2019. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman
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Bloody Day in Aden, Yemen's Legitimacy Blames Iran

Soldiers react after a missile attack on a military parade during a graduation ceremony for newly recruited troopers in Aden, Yemen August 1, 2019. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman
Soldiers react after a missile attack on a military parade during a graduation ceremony for newly recruited troopers in Aden, Yemen August 1, 2019. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman

Separate attacks killed at least 49 people and injured dozens others in Yemen's temporary capital Aden on Thursday, drawing large scale condemnation.

Military and security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the first attack was a suicide car bombing carried out by militants most likely linked to ISIS terrorist group.

They said two militants in the car targeted a police station in Aden's Sheikh Othman district, leaving dozens of casualties and huge damages in nearby buildings and houses.

Medical sources said that 13 policemen were killed and around 20 other people, including passersby, were injured.

The second attack was carried out by the Iran-backed Houthi militias, who said they launched a drone and a ballistic missile at a training camp west of Aden.

The aerial attack hit as senior commanders were overseeing a passing out parade for newly graduated cadets at Al-Jala Camp, in the city's neighborhood of Breiqa, 20 kilometers from the center of Aden.

Sources said the blast occurred behind the stand where the ceremony was taking place. Photos circulated after the attack showed a huge crater on the ground.

Brigadier General Muneer al-Yafee in addition to 35 others were killed.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the missile strike in a statement by a military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yehia Sarea. He said the insurgents had fired a medium-range ballistic missile at the parade.

In January, drones belonging to the Houthis attacked a Yemeni government military parade in the southern province of Lahaj, killing and injuring dozens of people.

The parade was taking place inside a military base in al-Anad district.

The Saudi envoy to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jabir, condemned Thursday’s two attacks in Aden, saying on Twitter that they indicate that Iran "shares common goals with fellow terrorists such as ISIS and al-Qaeda".

Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik also accused Iran of being behind the parade attack and the blast at the police station.

The Yemeni government said the "source and purpose (of the attacks) were the same".

"The two attacks prove the Houthi militia rebels and other terrorist groups are sharing roles and complementing each other in a war against the Yemeni people," it added in a statement.

Internationally, the European Union condemned the attack, extending condolences to the families of the victims.

It stressed the importance for all parties involved in the conflict in Yemen to exercise maximum restraint, saying it expected them to fulfill their respective commitments and engage with the UN Special Envoy in a constructive spirit, to achieve a comprehensive political agreement that sets the country on the course to sustainable peace.



Erdogan: Kurdish Militia in Syria Will Be Buried If They Do Not Lay Down Arms

A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
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Erdogan: Kurdish Militia in Syria Will Be Buried If They Do Not Lay Down Arms

A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Kurdish fighters in Syria will either lay down their weapons or "be buried", amid hostilities between Türkiye-backed Syrian fighters and the militants since the fall of Bashar al-Assad this month.
Following Assad's departure, Ankara has repeatedly insisted that the Kurdish YPG group must disband, asserting that the group has no place in Syria's future. The change in Syria's leadership has left the country's main Kurdish factions on the back foot.
"The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons," Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament.
"We will eradicate the terrorist organization that is trying to weave a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish siblings," he added.
Türkiye views the Kurdish YPG group- the main component of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union. Ankara has repeatedly called on its NATO ally Washington and others to stop supporting the YPG.
Earlier, Türkiye's defense ministry said the armed forces had killed 21 YPG-PKK militants in northern Syria and Iraq.
In a Reuters interview last week, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi acknowledged the presence of PKK fighters in Syria for the first time, saying they had helped battle ISIS and would return home if a total ceasefire was agreed with Türkiye, a core demand from Ankara.
He denied any organizational ties with the PKK.
Erdogan also said Türkiye would soon open its consulate in Aleppo, and added Ankara expected an increase in traffic at its borders in the summer of next year, as some of the millions of Syrian migrants it hosts begin returning.