At least 5 people were killed and 31 wounded as two car suicide bombers and gunmen tried to storm the headquarters of a counter-terrorism unit in Aden on Saturday, security sources said.
Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, vowed during telephone conversations with Interior Minister Ahmed al-Maysari and with the director of Aden's security, Shalal Shaea, to pursue the people responsible for the attacks.
The President stated that those terrorist operations would not discourage the legitimacy in its fight against terrorism in Yemen.
Witnesses and security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the first suicide bomber detonated his car in the outer gate of the anti-terrorist headquarters in the Golden Coast district of al-Tawahi district south of Aden, before the second suicide bomber followed him with a second car explosion.
Sources added that "about 7 other masked gunmen began to fire their machine guns after the bombings, in an attempt to storm the headquarters, but security men and guards were able to thwart the attempt after a heavy exchange of fire."
The attack, according to medical sources, killed 6 people, including a child, and injured about 35 other security elements and civilians.
Activists circulated pictures of the attack, as ambulances rushed to the scene, amid high death toll due to the severe injuries of some of them.
Since the defeat of Houthis in the city two years ago, suicide attacks and bombings targeted security headquarters in Aden, on the hands of Yemeni branch of ISIS and al-Qaeda militants, along with assassinations of several members of the security forces, government officials and party leaders.
Two days ago, Yemeni army forces, backed by the Arab Coalition, completed a military operation west of Mukalla in Hadramout province, destroying the remaining sites of al-Qaeda militants in al-Mesini valley.
Aden security chief Shaea said in a statement after the attack that security forces had foiled the insurgents' plan, in which two car bombs were detonated and a number of gunmen tried to approach the security building.
He added that: "the vigilance of the security personnel has thwarted the plan, and the terrorists were immediately killed before they could reach the external gate of the counter-terrorism headquarters."
According to Shaea, five people were killed in the attack, including a child and 31 injured civilians, and 7 were wounded from the "Second Battalion – Storm" force located opposite to the security headquarters.
President Hadi phoned Minister Maysari describing the terror attack as "cowardly and terrorist". He ordered all security authorities to work on a thorough investigation to probe in this terrorist operation.
Hadi said such acts won't soften the Yemeni people resolve to materialize their will for achieving stability and dignified life.
He prayed for the fallen soldiers and civilians, wishing the injured speedy recovery and vowing to reach the outlawed elements and bring them to justice, according to Saba state-news agency.
