Yemen foils bomb attack on air base used by US troops

ADEN, Yemen (AFP) - The Yemeni army on Saturday foiled a car bomb attack on the Anad air base used by US soldiers in the southern province of Lahj to train Yemeni forces in combating terrorism, a military official told AFP.

"We foiled an attack by a car packed with explosives that managed to breach several security checkpoints leading into the air base," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. He said the "Americans on the base were the target of the attack."

According to the official, some "15 American soldiers have been on the base for two months training Yemeni forces in combating terrorism." The car was "disarmed" and an investigation launched, he said, without reporting any arrest though the army "suspects Al-Qaeda" was likely to be responsible.

The car was discovered Saturday in a wooded area of the air base though it appears it had been "smuggled in several days ago," the official added.