New Cabinet survives attack at Aden airport
SMA NEWS-ADEN THE CAPITAL
At least 20 people were killed and dozens wounded in an attack on Aden airport on Wednesday moments after a plane landed carrying a newly formed cabinet for government-held parts of Yemen.
The members of the newly formed Yemeni government remained unharmed after an attack launched targeting Yemen’s Aden Airport. The large explosion took place at the airport as soon as the plane carrying the new government headed by Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed landed.
In the airport attack, loud blasts and gunfire were heard shortly after the plane arrived from Riyadh, witnesses said. A local security source said three mortar shells had landed on the airport’s hall. The power-sharing government ministers of the Southern Transitional Council and the legitimacy were in the plane at the moment of the explosion and they were later taken to a safe location.
“All members of the government are fine after the Aden airport terminal bombing,” the report quoted the Yemeni minister of information as saying. The minister called the attack a “cowardly act’.
According to the Yemeni government, all the ministers were in the plane at the moment of the explosion except the defense minister. The Arab Coalition forces transferred the members of the Yemeni government and provided them with protection, quoting government sources.
Hours after the attack, a second explosion was heard around Aden’s Maasheq presidential palace where the cabinet members including Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik, as well as the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, had been taken to safely, residents and local media said.
Aden health official Mohamed Robeid gave the death figure and said 50 people were wounded, adding the death toll could rise. Medecins Sans Frontieres aid group earlier said 17 people had been treated for wounds at its hospital in Aden.
The UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, condemned the attack on Aden airport, calling it an “unacceptable act of violence.”
In a statement posted on his official Twitter account, Griffiths said: “I strongly condemn the attack at Aden airport upon the Cabinet’s arrival & the killing and injury of many innocent civilians. My sincere condolences and solidarity to all who lost loved ones.” “I wish the Cabinet strength in facing the difficult tasks ahead. This unacceptable act of violence is a tragic reminder of the importance of bringing Yemen urgently back on the path towards peace.”
Condemning the attack, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber said: “The Aden airport bombing confirms the extent of the disappointment and confusion that grips the merchants of deaths and destruction following the successful implementation of the Riyadh Agreement.” “The Arab Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, continues to stand with the Yemeni people and their legitimate government,” Al-Jaber added.
The Saudi ambassador also said that the Riyadh Agreement will move forward, and peace, security, and stability will be achieved with the determination of the Yemenis and their courageous government.
British ambassador to Yemen Michael Aron said the Aden bombing is a despicable attempt to cause massacre and chaos and bring suffering to Yemenis.
