Suspected al-Qaida explosion kills 6 troops loyal to secessionist group in Yemen

By AHMED AL-HAJ
Associated Press

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — An explosive device detonated and killed six troops loyal to a United Arab Emirates-backed secessionist group Monday in southern Yemen, a military spokesman said. He blamed the attack on al-Qaida militants in the impoverished Arab country. The explosion hit a military vehicle as it passed in a mountainous area in southern Abyan province, said Mohamed al-Naqib, a spokesman for the Southern Armed Forces, the military arm of the secessionist Southern Transitional Council. The UAE-backed council controls much of Yemen’s south. It is at odds with the internationally recognized government, although they are allies against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen’s civil war.