A suicide bombing hit Yemeni troops trained by the United Arab Emirates in the government bastion of Aden on Tuesday, a security source said, killing at least six people.
The attack in the north of the port city hit an army mess hall serving the so-called Security Belt brigade, supported by government ally the UAE.
An AFP journalist saw at least five casualties being carried out of the charred building, the agency reported. Their condition was unclear.
Several cars parked nearby were severely damaged.
At least six people were confirmed dead, including a young child, and 30 wounded, the source said, adding that they included passers-by.
Islamic State claimed the attack on its propaganda arm Amaq, saying an “act of martyrdom by car bombing” had hit the “main headquarters for food run by the Security Belt which is loyal to the United Arab Emirates, in the area of Dareen in the Mansoura district of Aden.”
Aden is controlled by the Yemeni government and its allies in a Saudi-led coalition, who are battling Houthi rebels who control the capital Sana’a and much of the north.
But it also hosts jihadists of Al-Qaeda and ISIS, who have both claimed attacks in the city in recent years.
On February 24, twin suicide bombings claimed by ISIS hit a base of an Aden counter-terrorism unit, killing five people, including a child.
The government established its headquarters in Aden, Yemen’s second city, after the rebels forced it out of the capital.
In January, Aden was rocked by deadly clashes that saw southern separatists seize much of the city from other pro-government forces.
With reporting from AFP
