A bomb-laden vehicle exploded Sunday killing seven soldiers in Yemen’s south, where government forces backed by air power from an Arab coalition have launched an offensive against Al-Qaeda, military sources said.
The attack, which also wounded another 14 soldiers, targeted an army convoy as it entered jihadist stronghold Zinjibar, capital of Abyan province, said the sources, blaming Al-Qaeda for the bombing.
Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi launched the Zinjibar offensive on Saturday, after similar assaults pushed the jihadists from other areas in the south.
The Saudi-led coalition that has been battling Iran-backed rebels across the country since March 2015 has deployed Apache helicopters to support the loyalist fighting on ground.
The pro-Hadi forces “retreated from Zinjibar after they entered on Saturday night” from the city’s southern gate, an officer in Abyan told AFP.
“The withdrawal was decided following information that Al-Qaeda was preparing other car-bomb attacks against our troops,” added the officer who requested anonymity.
Government forces also launched an offensive Saturday to drive the jihadists out of the neighbouring town of Jaar.
Fighting there killed 25 Al-Qaeda fighters and four soldiers as loyalists seized Al-Kud, five kilometres (three miles) south of Zinjibar, military and medical sources said.