Car bomb in Yemen kills 3 and is said to target a leader with Saudi-backed group

ADEN, Yemen (AP) - Three people were killed on Wednesday when a car bomb exploded in an attack that appeared to target a leader of a Saudi-backed armed group in southern Yemen, according to witnesses and security officials.

Witnesses Thabet al-Azab and Khaled al-Sebeihy described the incident north of Aden as targeting Hamdy Shoukry, a senior figure in the Giants Brigades, who survived. They said six people traveling in the motorcade transporting him through the area were injured.

At least three bodies were transferred to Ibn Khaldoun Hospital, according to nurse Ahmed Khalil.

A security official told The Associated Press the attack impacted Shoukry's motorcade. The security official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief the media.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Yemen has been mired for more than a decade in a civil war that involves complex sectarian and tribal grievances and the involvement of regional powers.

The Giants Brigades have been working with the Saudi-backed National Shield forces in regaining control of areas in southern Yemen that were seized by Emirati-backed separatists in December.

The U.S. Embassy in Yemen in a statement on social media condemned the "unprovoked attack against a Yemeni government-affiliated military convoy."