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It is the consternation among the Yemeni police officers after the double bombing that killed about 20 people in their ranks on 1st August 2019. REUTERS / Fawaz Salman

Dozens of police were killed or wounded on Thursday in two attacks targeting police in Aden, southern Yemen. One of these attacks, a suicide bombing in the center of Aden, the "capital" of the government recognized by the international community, was attributed by the security services to jihadists. The second was claimed by the Houthi rebels, and directed against a police barracks in the western outskirts of the city, according to security sources.

The two attacks targeted the so-called "security belt" forces, officers trained and equipped by the United Arab Emirates, one of the pillars of the Saudi-led military coalition that has been operating since 2015 in Yemen. against Houthi rebels.

In Cheikh Othman, in the center of Aden, three police officers were killed and 20 others, including many policemen, were wounded in a suicide car bombing. The attack targeted the entrance of a police headquarters, as the police gathered to greet the national flag, security officials said. " Three policemen were killed and 20 others injured, " one of the doctors at a surgical hospital told AFP where the victims were transported.

A general among the victims of the 2nd attack

" Dozens of wounded have been admitted to the surgical hospital of Aden after an explosion in a nearby area ," the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which is involved in the management of this medical unit, said on Twitter. One of the sources of security attributed the attack to jihadists, without further details.

The second attack, claimed by the Houthis who said they fired a missile and drone at a police parade, targeted the Al-Jalaa barracks, 20 km west of Aden. A senior officer, General Mounir al-Yafyi, is among the dead, said security sources who spoke of dozens of dead and wounded. These attacks come after a period of relative calm in Aden where the last suicide attack was committed on July 24th.

In the wake of the conflict between the Houthis and pro-government forces since 2014, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have strengthened their presence in southern Yemen and have claimed dozens of attacks in recent years.

( With AFP )