Car bomb in Yemen kills 3 and is said to target a leader with Arab coalition-backed group

AP , Wednesday 21 Jan 2026

Three people were killed on Wednesday when a car bomb exploded in an attack that appeared to target a leader of the Arab coalition-backed armed group in southern Yemen, according to witnesses and security officials.

This picture, taken during a tour for foreign media organised by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, shows Saudi-backed Yemeni forces inside a military camp formerly controlled by the UAE in Al-Dhaba, in the southern Hadramawt province. AFP

Witnesses Thabet al-Azab and Khaled al-Sebeihy described the incident north of Aden as targeting Hamdy Shoukry, a senior figure in the Giants Brigades, who survived. They said four people travelling in the motorcade transporting him through the area were injured.

At least three bodies were transferred to Ibn Khaldoun Hospital, according to nurse Ahmed Khalil.

A security official told The Associated Press that the attack impacted Shoukry's motorcade. The security official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to brief the media.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Yemen has been mired for more than a decade in a civil war that involves complex sectarian and tribal grievances and the involvement of regional powers.

The Giants Brigades have been working with the National Shield forces in regaining control of areas in southern Yemen that were seized by separatists in December.