Yemen's Islah party leader survives assassination attempt in Aden

Arif Ahmed Ali, one of the leaders of the Islah party, was in the car with his son when an explosion targeted his vehicle on a main road.
2 min read
31 July, 2018
The leader of Yemen's Islah party was targeted in Aden's Mualla district [Twitter]

At least three people, including a leading figure in Yemen’s Islah party, were injured in an attempted assassination in Yemen’s coastal Aden city on Tuesday.

Arif Ahmed Ali, one of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Islah party, was in the car with his son when an explosion targeted his vehicle on a main road in Aden’s Mualla district.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Last week, two people were killed and six others wounded in a suicide attack in Aden, which was declared the temporary capital of Yemen after Houthi rebels overran the capital and other major cities.

The attacker  blew himself up while riding a motorbike near a vehicle carrying the commander of a battalion of UAE-backed forces, a security source told AFP.

The explosion killed a female passerby and a soldier driving the vehicle that was carrying a security commander loyal to Yemen's government, who was among four wounded passengers. Two other civilians were also wounded.

Aden has been rocked with suicide attacks, bombings and assassination attempts mainly targeting pro-government security forces and members of the UAE's forces working as part of the Saudi-led coalition. 

In January, Aden was rocked by deadly clashes that saw UAE-backed southern separatists seize much of the city from other pro-government forces.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since a Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign to help the internationally recognised government regain control of territory lost to the Houthi rebels. 

Yemen's multi-faceted conflict has pushed the impoverished country to the brink of famine, triggering what the United Nations says is the world's worst humanitarian crisis.