SANAA, December 16 (Sputnik) – At least 25 people, including 15 schoolchildren, have been killed in two car bomb attacks in the Yemeni city of Radaa, a local source told Sputnik News Agency Tuesday.
The first bomb went off near a checkpoint controlled by Houthis, a Shiite rebel group, as the school bus was passing by. Fifteen schoolchildren died in the blast. The second bomb, which killed 10 people, exploded in a Shiite area and targeted the chief of the regional office of the General People’s Congress, the party of ousted President Abdullah Saleh, the source said.
After a peaceful regime change in 2011, Yemen has experienced continuous unrest. Despite efforts by the Yemeni authorities, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been persistent in launching attacks in the country’s south. The city of Radaa in the Al-Baida governorate, which is considered to be an AQAP stronghold, has been the epicenter of fighting between Houthis and AQAP insurgents since October. The conflict has left thousands displaced in the area.