Yemeni police members in Sanaa Sanaa – Ali Rabea/Bassem Fadl Armed men followers of Al-Qaeda attacked a Yemeni military camp in Shaqra (Abyan, south Yemen) on Friday morning, leaving 18 Yemeni soldiers dead and 33 injured. This came in response to the death of nine of Al-Qaeda members on Thursday targeted by a US drone, which also killed leader Nader al-Saddadi.
The Yemeni Ministry of Defence said that the Yemeni army confronted the attack of the terrorist group.
Military sources in Camp 115 told Arabstoday that six armed men of Al-Qaeda wearing explosive belts attacked the headquarters of the camp in the coastal city Shaqra on early Friday morning. They used open cars similar to those used by army patrols.
One of the soldiers said in a press statement that while everyone was asleep, around 4.00 am they heard gun shots and consecutive explosions inside the camp yard. This caused confusion and the soldiers panicked, which gave the attackers the opportunity to kill a large number of soldiers.
The injured soldier said that a car with a number of Al-Qaeda members broke into the main gate and killed the duty guard and stopped the car in the middle of the camp beside fuel barrel, which then exploded later.
The soldier added that the attackers quickly spread, where one of them went up the main barrack and started shooting in all directions. When his weapon was empty he threw a hand bomb inside the room and jumped from the fence.
The other attackers were distributed in the signal room and the rooms of the officers and the leadership, according to the soldier.
The soldier added that there were more than 11 attackers, four of whom blew themselves up with explosive belts turning the camp into “a burning hell.”
Sources told Arabstoday that two tanks were destroyed using RBG missiles and fuel station was burned.
The operation organised by Al-Qaeda comes as a quick and direct response to a military campaign that targeted al-Habashi mountain Thursday early morning in Jaar killing nine of Al-Qaeda leaders, including Nader al-Shaddadi, who was wanted by the security bodies.
Yemeni Minister of Defence General Major Mohamed Nasser Ahmad praised the heroic resilience of the leadership and fighters of the camp of the infantry brigade 115 who stood up to the terrorist operation.