MUKALLA, March 4 — Despite unprecedented security deployments, suspected Al-Qaeda operatives recently intensified attacks against security bases and officers in Hadramout governorate.

A bomb exploded in front of the gateway to the Central Security Forces complex located in the outskirts of Mukkala City, the capital of Hadramaut, on Saturday morning.

A soldier sustained minor injuries as a result of the blast. The bombing occurred at 9:15. A twin-blast occurred almost one hour later. Explosive devices had been planted in the wall of the military camp.

A third explosion took place when assailants planted two bombs near the camp of the central security camp, amongst key units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, an official said.

No one  has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the blasts carry the marks of Al-Qaeda’s operations, said locals.

The explosions caused panic across the area and eyewitnesses told the Yemen Times that people prefer to stay indoors after the blasts.

The second blast damaged outer wall of the camp in the populated neighborhood of Buwaish. The blasts come after a week from the deadly Al-Qaeda>s attacks on the presidential palace that killed at least 26 people.

The governor of Hadramout strongly condemned the terrorist incidents and described them as heinous acts carried out by criminal elements. Police in Hadramout have arrested a number of suspects.

Meanwhile, police in Hadramout have continued to look for a security officer who was abducted and taken hostage by masked men on February 28 in Ghail Bawazir, a small city east of Mukkala.

Major Shoqi Salim Bakran, was kidnapped when on his way home from work. The unidentified group intercepted him and took him to unknown area.

Similarly, unidentified armed men opened fire on the security chief of Shibam district, in Wadi Hadramout. Major Shaef died instantly after being showered with a volley of bullets by gunmen in a fast-moving car.

This incident took place at sunset on the same day, in front of the gateway of a security camp located between Al-Hawta and Al-Hazm in Wadi Hadramout.


US security team attacked in Aden

On Friday, gunmen opened fire on a U.S. security team as the latter was on a training mission in Yemen.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have claimed responsibility for the attack via text message, Reuters reported.

The militants claimed that they shot and killed an American officer in his car after tracking him and determining that he was working with the Yemeni government for reasons of counter-terrorism while in Aden>s Al-Mansoura neighborhood.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon - along with Yemeni officials - denied al Qaeda’s claim of the death, stating that their armored vehicle was fired upon and that there no injuries had been sustained.

A Yemeni security official said that militants had opened fire on a U.S security team involved in training Yemeni forces.

In the text message sent to Reuters, Al-Qaeda stated that the attack was revenge for crimes committed by the Republican Guard. There was no way to verify whether the text was sent by the men who fired at the security team. However, Al Qaeda militants have used the method to communicate with the media in the past.