Suicide car bomb kills 18 Yemeni soldiers

This photo provided by Yemen's Defense Ministry shows damaged vehicles after an explosion at the Defense Ministry complex in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car Thursday at Yemen's Defense Ministry, killing more than a dozen soldiers and wounding at least 40 in an attack underlining the persistent threat to the stability and security of the impoverished Arab nation, military and hospital officials said.
This photo provided by Yemen's Defense Ministry shows damaged vehicles after an explosion at the Defense Ministry complex in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car Thursday at Yemen's Defense Ministry, killing more than a dozen soldiers and wounding at least 40 in an attack underlining the persistent threat to the stability and security of the impoverished Arab nation, military and hospital officials said.

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.

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