Terror militants disguised as policemen targeted a military-manned checkpoint near Mukalla, in the south-eastern province of Hadhramawt on Tuesday, killing four soldiers. Completely caught off guard by the militants, soldiers could not have predicted such an attack, especially given the fact that their attackers all appeared to be genuine policemen and thus friendly.
Military sources told the Yemen Post that two soldiers had been transported to a nearby hospital where they will be treated for their injuries.
An official told reporters earlier today, “The gunmen suspected of belonging to al Qaeda opened fire on the checkpoint at the western entrance to the port city of Mukalla, the provincial capital of Hadramawt.”
Suspected al Qaeda militants in police uniforms killed four soldiers Tuesday in an attack on a special forces’ checkpoint in south-eastern Yemen, a security official said.
The same militants also targeted a nearby police station. A local official explained this time that al-Qaeda raided the police station not to kill but to seize all firearms and all other weapons it could find. No casualties were reported.
Less than a week ago, last Friday, al-Qaeda stormed a military outpost in Hadhramawt where eight soldiers were killed, and last Wednesday terror operatives attempted to storm Aden’s Fourth Brigade military headquarters in an attack so violent and brazen that residents have been left fearful of Islamists’ firepower and ability to challenge Yemen’s armed forces.
As predicted by security experts al-Qaeda continues to systematically target Yemen’ southern seaports: Mukalla and Aden, as its leadership is looking to establish a permanent base of command in one of the Arabian Peninsula most geo-strategically sensitive areas.