Suicide Bombing in Yemen Kills 11 Soldiers, Saba Says

A suicide bombing targeting a military checkpoint in the central Yemeni city of Radaa today killed 11 soldiers and wounded 17, the state-run Saba news agency said in a text message.

The suicide bombing came hours after the military began a campaign against al-Qaeda militants in the province of al- Baidha, where Radaa is located.

The government said on Jan. 25 that the co-founder of Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi citizen Saeed al-Shihri, died after succumbing to wounds sustained in Yemen on Nov. 28. Al-Shihri commanded all Saudi operatives in the group and oversaw attacks on the Yemeni military in the Abyan region.

Al-Qaeda has used bases in Yemen to strike Western targets inside the country as well as mount cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammed Hatem in Dubai at mhatem1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net