Residents claim that gunmen opened fire on the checkpoint after a suicide bomber drove his booby-trapped car into the checkpoint northeast of the capital of the province of Shabwa, Ataq. The attack occurred as southern separatists battled Yemeni government forces for control of the interim capital. The checkpoint is run by local forces and is backed by the United Arab Emirates.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but it is similar to previous actions taken by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which operates in the area. In August of last year, the Shabwa Elite Force drove AQAP militants out of Ataq in a major military operation.

In 2015, the UAE intervened in the Yemen Civil War to try to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s power after the Houthis advanced on Aden and forced him into exile.

For more information please read:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-blast/eleven-dead-in-suicide-attack-at-yemen-checkpoint-officials-idUSKBN1FJ0QI
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/yemen-twin-bombings-al-qaeda-news-2921718/