Image copyright EPA Image caption Checkpoint security was increased in the capital, Sana'a, after the bomb

A suicide bomber has killed 45 soldiers and wounded 50 at an army base in southern Yemen, officials say.

The attack happened while soldiers had gathered to receive their salaries at a barracks in the city of Aden, which is controlled by pro-government forces.

Some estimates put the death toll at 50, with as many as 70 injured.

It is not yet clear who carried out the attack but so-called Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility.

The city has previously been targeted by jihadist groups in the region. In August, a suicide attack claimed by IS killed at least 60 people in the city.

One soldier at the base, Waleed Rashed, told the Associated Press news agency that he had arrived shortly after the attack and had seen private cars take injured people to hospital, before ambulances arrived.

"I could hear the wounded soldiers screaming for help," he said.

Yemen has been in constant conflict since March 2015, as forces allied to the exiled President, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, battle the Houthi rebel movement.

Jihadist groups such as the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda have taken advantage of the conflict to carve out areas of control in the south of Yemen.

The scale of the humanitarian crisis is enormous - more than three million people have left their homes, and more than half the country's population does not have a secure source of food.

Pro-government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, took control of Aden in the summer of 2015.

Since then, it has suffered a string of bombings which have killed up to several dozen at once.

The UN estimates that 7,270 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the conflict began.</s>A suicide bomber killed at least 50 Yemeni soldiers at a base in the city of Aden, a local security official said, in another major attack claimed by Islamic State on forces allied to a Saudi-led military coalition.

The attacker blew himself up as the troops were waiting to collect their salaries, the government sources added, wounding around 70 others as they lined up to collect salaries at the entrance to the Sawlaban base on the outskirts of the city.

Islamic State, also known as Isis, claimed responsibility for the attack in a message posted online.

The Yemeni branch of the militant group based in Iraq and Syria has carried out many deadly bombings around troops in the southern port city, which is under the control of the internationally recognised government in exile in Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom intervened in Yemen’s civil war in March 2015 to fight the government’s foes in the Iran-allied Houthi movement but have failed to dislodge the group from the capital Sanaa despite thousands of air strikes.

Houthi forces were pushed out of Aden and much of Yemen’s south last summer, but the government and coalition troops have struggled to enforce their control as al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants use the security vacuum to carry out attacks.

At least 10,000 people have been killed in the 20-month conflict, which has unleashed a humanitarian crisis on the impoverished country.</s>ADEN (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed at least 50 Yemeni soldiers at a base in the city of Aden, a local security official said, in another major attack claimed by Islamic State on forces allied to a Saudi-led military coalition.

The attacker blew himself up as the troops were waiting to collect their salaries, the government sources added, wounding around 70 others as they lined up to collect salaries at the entrance to the Sawlaban base on the outskirts of the city.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a message posted online.

The Yemeni branch of the militant group based in Iraq and Syria has carried out many deadly bombings around troops in the southern port city, which is under the control of the internationally recognized government in exile in Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom intervened in Yemen’s civil war in March 2015 to fight the government’s foes in the Iran-allied Houthi movement but have failed to dislodge the group from the capital Sanaa despite thousands of air strikes.

Houthi forces were pushed out of Aden and much of Yemen’s south last summer, but the government and coalition troops have struggled to enforce their control as Al Qaeda and Islamic State militants use the security vacuum to carry out attacks.

At least 10,000 people have been killed in the 20-month conflict, which has unleashed a humanitarian crisis on the impoverished country.</s>SANAA, Yemen — Yemeni officials say a suicide bomber has blown himself up inside an army base in the southern city of Aden, killing 23 soldiers.

They say the bomber detonated his explosives amid hundreds of soldiers lining up to collect their salaries in the Solban army base. They say at least 30 soldiers have been wounded.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida.

The terror network's branch in Yemen is thought to be the world's most active. It is known to have a presence in Aden, where a loose coalition between troops loyal to the internationally recognized government, local militias and jihadi groups is in control.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.</s>ADEN: Forty-eight Yemeni soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing claimed by the Daesh group in the southern port city of Aden, officials said Sunday in an updated casualty toll.

“We have 48 dead and 29 wounded,” all soldiers, Abdel Nasser Al-Wali, health department chief for Aden, told AFP, revising an earlier toll of 35 dead.

The bomber detonated his explosives belt as hundreds of troops had gathered to collect their monthly pay at a barracks in Al-Sawlaban near Aden’s international airport.

Daesh claimed responsibility.

“A martyr from the Islamic State detonoted his explosives belt in Al-Sawlaban military camp in Aden during a gathering of the Yemeni army,” the Daesh-affiliated Amaq news outlet said.

Yemeni authorities have for months pressed a campaign against jihadists who remain active in the south and east of the war-torn country.

Daesh and its jihadist rival Al-Qaeda have taken advantage of a conflict between the government and the Houthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa, to bolster their presence across much of the south.

The two groups have carried out a spate of attacks in Aden, Yemen’s second city and headquarters of the internationally recognized government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, whose forces retook the port from the Houthis last year.</s>SANAA, Yemen — A suicide bomber on Saturday blew himself up inside an army base in the southern city of Aden, killing 45 soldiers and wounding another 50, security officials said.

They said the bomber detonated a belt of explosives he was wearing amid hundreds of soldiers lining up to collect their salaries in the city's Solban army base.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Waleed Rashed, a soldier in the base, arrived at the scene shortly after the attack to find the area littered with bodies and blood.

"I could hear the wounded soldiers screaming for help," he said.

Private cars were used to ferry the wounded to hospitals before ambulances arrived, he added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but it bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida, which has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Aden over the years, targeting government troops and senior security commanders.

The terror network's branch in Yemen is thought to be the world's most active. It is known to have a presence in Aden, where a loose coalition of troops loyal to the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, local militias and jihadi groups control the city.

The troops and jihadi groups are fighting Shiite rebels, who in 2014 seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and later swept much of northern Yemen. Their advances forced Hadi to flee the country and seek shelter in neighboring Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition, mostly consisting of Gulf Arab states, subsequently intervened in Yemen, launching a punishing air campaign against the rebels and their allies.</s>SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A suicide bomber on Saturday blew himself up inside an army base in the southern city of Aden, killing 45 soldiers and wounding another 50, security officials said.

They said the bomber detonated a belt of explosives he was wearing amid hundreds of soldiers lining up to collect their salaries in the city’s Solban army base.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Waleed Rashed, a soldier in the base, arrived at the scene shortly after the attack to find the area littered with bodies and blood.

“I could hear the wounded soldiers screaming for help,” he said.

Private cars were used to ferry the wounded to hospitals before ambulances arrived, he added.

The Islamic State group’s Yemeni affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on social media sites known to be sympathetic with the extremist group. It was impossible to immediately verify the claim.

Aden is controlled by a loose coalition of troops loyal to the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, local militias and jihadi groups.

The troops and jihadi groups are fighting Shiite rebels, who in 2014 seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and later swept much of northern Yemen. Their advances forced Hadi to flee the country and seek shelter in neighboring Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition, mostly consisting of Gulf Arab states, subsequently intervened in Yemen, launching a punishing air campaign against the rebels and their allies.
A suicide bomber kills at least 50 soldiers and injures 70 more at a military barracks in Aden, Yemen.