Yemeni Governor Survives Car Bomb Attack

The Governor of Aden, a city in the south of Yemen, survived a  car bombing early on July 15^th. Governor Aidaroos al-Zubairi’s car was driving through the Inmaa neighborhood of the city when a parked car exploded, wounding two of his security guards but leaving him unharmed. Yemeni officials believe that the attack was carried out by Al-Qaeda, though no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Zubairi assumed the governorship in December, when his predecessor, Jaafar Saad, was killed by a car bomb claimed by the Islamic State. Since Zubairi became Aden’s Governor, he has been the target of numerous attacks. In February, suspected members of Al-Qaeda opened fire on a convoy carrying Zubairi and Aden police chief General Shallal Shayae; both officials escaped unharmed but one bodyguard was killed. The pair also survived a car bombing in January which left two of their bodyguards dead.

Yemen has been in locked in civil war since February 2015, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels took the capital, Sana’a, ousting President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. Hadi fled to Aden, where he set up a provisional capital. But less than two weeks later, Houthi Rebels took Aden, forcing Hadi to flee to Riyadh, where he enlisted Saudi Arabia’s help in combating the rebels; Saudi Arabia intervened swiftly, issuing airstrikes and ultimately sending ground troops into Houthi-controlled territory. With Saudi help, the Hadi Government retook Aden in July of that year.

But Yemeni forces have struggled to secure the city, as jihadists have used the region’s instability to their advantage, repeatedly targeting government forces. Last week, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which controls large areas of land in the center of the country, claimed an attack near Aden Airport which killed eight soldiers. This is just one of the many attacks that Al-Qaeda has carried out in Yemen.

Despite not being a major presence in Yemen, IS has carried out a few attacks of its own, including a suicide attack outside of a military recruiting facility that killed 45 would-be recruits in March.

Recent attacks by Al-Qaeda mark its attempts to exploit existing tensions in Yemen. As the Hadi government focuses its attention on fighting the Houthi Rebels, it increasingly becomes a target for jihadist groups, seeing as Yemen’s relative instability makes it a perfect spot for recruitment. Specifically, AQAP seeks to expand its territory in Yemen and repeatedly dealing blows to the Yemen Army makes the government appear weak and unstable. AQAP is able to exploit this power vacuum to its advantage, providing it with more recruits and allowing it to gain a greater influence throughout Yemen.