Yemen: Attack on the airport on return of government delegation from Saudi Arabia, 26 killed

Yemen: Attack on airport on return of government delegation from Saudi Arabia, 26 killed

As members of Yemen’s newly formed government arrived at Aden Airport from Saudi Arabia, the airport resounded with explosions and gunfire, killing 26 people so far.

Yemeni government sources told the British newspaper that several people were injured, including deputy ministers.

So far, 26 people have been killed and 60 injured, while the condition of several of the injured is critical, the senior health official said.

The media was also present in large numbers on the occasion of the arrival of the government delegation and several videos of the incident are circulating on social media.

Prime Minister Moin Abdul Malik Saeed and other cabinet ministers have been safely evacuated from the airport.

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, Muhammad Saeed al-Jubeir, was also present at the airport at the time of the attack and has been evacuated.

Yemen’s Deputy Minister for Sports and Youth Hamza al-Kamala said the deputy minister for transportation was also injured.

Large crowds were also present to welcome members of the Yemeni government. Photo: AFP
“No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but we suspect the Houthi rebels,” he said.

It should be noted that in Saudi Arabia, the government of Yemeni President Abdul Rabb Mansour Hadi and the separatist organization Southern Transitional Council (STC) have reached an agreement to run the government, after which the cabinet members were returning from Saudi Arabia.

The STC has been campaigning for the independence of southern Yemen, but is with the government against the Houthi rebels, and the agreement is expected to end one of Yemen’s many ongoing conflicts.