ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least two senior officers of Yemen's government forces were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Tuesday, a military official told Xinhua.
According to the local military official who asked to remain anonymous, the blast occurred in Al Bouqaira village in Mudiyah district of the turbulent southern province of Abyan, killing two senior officers on the spot and injuring six other soldiers.
Elements of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch attached the explosive under the officers' vehicle and detonated it with a remote-controlled device, said the official.
Medical workers and rescuers rushed to the site immediately after the blast and shifted the injured soldiers to a nearby hospital.
The local Yemeni security units in Abyan vowed to launch a search operation in the surroundings to arrest the perpetrators during the upcoming hours.
In the past months, Abyan witnessed a dramatic increase in terror attacks against government forces in many of its areas, as the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and other extremist groups have a strong presence in the turbulent province.
In November 2022, military units of the Southern Transitional Council, which is a part of the Yemeni government, announced that they were launching "a qualitative anti-terror operation and succeeded in raiding a key hideout of al-Qaida in Abyan and Shabwa."
Al-Qaida militants hiding out in rocky terrains and mountainous areas of Abyan and other neighboring provinces including Shabwa frequently use hit-and-run tactics against Yemeni government forces.
The AQAP network has exploited years of deadly conflict between the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia to expand its presence in the war-ravaged Arab country. It has carried out many high-profile attacks against the security forces in the country's southern provinces. ■
