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SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Officials in Yemen say at least 54 pro-government recruits are dead after a suicide car bombing. The Islamic State group is claiming responsibility.
The men were at staging area near two schools and a mosque when, witnesses say, a pickup truck suddenly sped through the gate as a food delivery arrived. The pickup exploded amid the crowd.
A neighbor who rushed to the scene described "bodies and body parts" that were "scattered all over the place."
The death toll rose steadily through the day.
Yemen is embroiled in a civil war pitting the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite rebels known as Houthis. They are allied with army units loyal to a former president. The fighting has allowed al-Qaida and an IS affiliate to expand their reach, particularly in the south.
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APPHOTO CAITH104: Fighters loyal to the government gather at the site of a suicide car bombing in Yemen's southern city of Aden, Yemen, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. The bombing claimed by the Islamic State group in Aden has killed over 50 pro-government troops who had been preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia to fight Houthi rebels in Yemen's north. Yemen is embroiled in a civil war pitting the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite Houthi rebels, who are allied with army units loyal to a former president. The fighting has allowed al-Qaida and an IS affiliate to expand their reach, particularly in the south. (AP Photo/Wael Qubady) (29 Aug 2016)
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