At roughly 8 a. Muneer al-Mashali, better known as Abu al-Yamama, and 35 other soldiers. The Yemeni government and coalition member states quickly condemned the attacks, which Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik claimed were coordinated and directed by Iran. Witnesses also reported seeing a drone overhead minutes after the explosion, which then left the area without further incident.
He did not say why. Another security source, speaking about the suicide bombing at the police station, said the Political Intelligence Department had issued a report three days earlier warning that bomb-laden cars were being sent into Aden. There were no visible signs of increased security ahead of the blast. The soldiers killed were in the back area. Video circulating online showed hundreds of soldiers marching in place to a military drumbeat; the marching and drumming paused and senior officers sat chatting quietly on the stage when a loud explosion sent grey smoke billowing behind the stage and soldiers running.
Following the attacks, public rage against northern Yemenis surged and reports came from across Aden of northerners being rounded up and driven out of the city in buses, and northern-owned businesses being vandalized. Security Belt forces also established checkpoints at the entrances of the city to prevent northerners from entering.
He was known as stolidly loyal to the UAE and as a strong voice for southern independence. He was also influential in his nearby home region of Yafea, Lahj governorate, where many residents have joined up with southern security forces backed by the Emiratis.
Emirati forces have worked with and trained local soldiers and militias in southern Yemen. The UAE drawdown, which came to public attention in June, took the international community by surprise. Anwar Gargash, the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, urged in a July 22 Washington Post commentary the international community prevent any side from exploiting or undermining the Emirati decision.
