Yemen’s Aden governor assassinated

Da’ish claims responsibility for car bombing that left six more dead

ADEN: A car bombing, claimed by Da’ish, killed the governor of Yemen’s Aden city on Sunday, a day after the UN envoy went there to press for long-delayed peace talks.

A statement posted on Twitter by the Middle Eastern terrorist group claimed responsibility for the blast that hit the convoy of Jaafar Saad in the Tawahi neighbourhood of Aden, killing him and his eight bodyguards.

A statement by Yemen’s official Saba news agency quoted Aden’s security chief General Mohamed Mussad confirming the death of Saad and six of his guards. Images posted on social media following the attack showed a wrecked car on fire on a main road.

Saad was recently appointed the governor, and was known to be close to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who returned to Aden last month after spending several months in exile in Riyadh.

Pro-Hadi forces, aided by a Saudi-led coalition, have battled Iran-backed rebels in Yemen since March, after the insurgents overran the capital Sanaa and advanced south, forcing the government to flee to Saudi Arabia.

Fighting between Houthi rebels and loyalist forces has plunged the impoverished nation into chaos, which jihadist groups have exploited to make sweeping gains, particularly in its southern regions.

Aden’s Tawahi district has become a known hideout for jihadists, including Al-Qaeda militants.

The car bombing comes a day after Yemen’s UN envoy held talks with Hadi in Aden, aimed at kick-starting peace talks between the warring sides. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed met Hadi to seek his agreement to convene negotiations with the rebels in Geneva next week.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th,  2015.