DHAKA: A suicide attack claimed by the so-called Islamic State (IS) group has killed at least 25 people in southern Yemen.

Officials say the bomber detonated his explosives outside a police base in the port city of Mukalla, killing recruits as they queued up outside the building, reports the BBC.

Islamic State’s jihadist rival, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), was forced out of Mukalla last month by a Saudi-led military coalition.

The conflict in Yemen has displaced 2m people since 2011.

Hospitals in Mukalla were also treating at least 25 people wounded in the attack, reports said.

The bombing is the second such attack in Mukalla claimed by so-called Islamic State since AQAP’s withdrawal from the city.

The group claimed a suicide car bomb attack on soldiers last week.

The port city of 500,000 people had been held for more than a year by AQAP, which has taken advantage of Yemen's civil war to seize territory, weapons and money.

BDST: 2135 HRS, MAY 15, 2016
RR