IS group claims suicide bombing in south Yemen

(12 May 2016) Yemen's Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing that struck a navy base in the southern port city of Mukalla on Thursday, killing at least six troops. Ambulances raced to the scene of the blast, and Yemeni government forces tightened security around the area with additional checkpoints. Officers from a Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognised government have been seen recently at the base but it was not immediately clear if any of the coalition troops were present at the time of the attack. Mukalla used to be occupied by al-Qaida's Yemen branch. The IS affiliate in Yemen, which has largely been eclipsed by the rival al-Qaida branch, emerged during the country's civil war, seeking to expand its footprint amid the turmoil gripping the country. Since March last year, Yemen has been immersed in a conflict pitting the country's Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies against President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...