ADEN, Yemen, June 11 (Xinhua) -- At least seven soldiers of Yemen's newly-recruited forces were killed on Friday in a motorcycle bombing in the country's southern province of Abyan, a government official told Xinhua.
The bombing came in the afternoon when a booby-trapped motorcycle went off at a crowded marketplace in Zinjibar, capital of Abyan Province, according to the local official.
"The booby-trapped motorcycle parked at the marketplace exploded, targeting a military vehicle carrying soldiers loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC)," the source said on condition of anonymity.
The motorcycle bombing also injured 13 soldiers and civilians and damaged several cars and shops, he added.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but local security officials accused terror elements linked to the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch of being behind it.
The Yemen-based Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) network, which mostly operates in eastern and southern provinces, is responsible for many high-profile attacks against security forces in the country.
The AQAP, seen by the United States as the global terror network's most dangerous branch, has exploited years of deadly conflict between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels to expand its presence in the war-ravaged Arab country. Enditem
