ADEN, Yemen — A suicide car bomber struck Yemen’s Defense Ministry Thursday, killing 18 soldiers and paving the way for a carload of gunmen wearing army uniforms to storm the heavily guarded compound in the capital of Sana, military and hospital officials said.
The brazen morning attack underlined the ability of insurgents to strike at the heart of the government as they exploit the instability that has plagued the U.S.-allied country for more than two years. Yemen’s Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed was in Washington on Thursday for talks with U.S. officials.
Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suicide bombings and complex attacks are the hallmarks of al-Qaida.