Iran condemns killing of 15 Yemeni soldiers

Iran has condemned the recent killing of Yemeni soldiers by al-Qaeda Takfiri militants.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said in a Sunday statement that Yemeni people and officials should become united to uproot terrorism in the country.

The Iranian official also expressed the Islamic Republic’s sympathy with the people and government of Yemen over the killings.

The comments came after al-Qaeda Takfiri militants abducted and summarily executed 15 Yemeni soldiers during an ambush in the eastern province of Hadramawt on Friday.

On August 7, four Yemeni soldiers were also killed in al-Qaeda attacks on two army posts in Hadramawt Province.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility for recent deadly attacks on the army posts in the south and southeast of Yemen.

In late April, the Yemeni army launched a ground offensive against AQAP in Shabwa Province and the nearby province of Abyan.

Al-Qaeda-linked violence against Yemeni security forces has reportedly grown since February 2012, when President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi came to power in a one-man election backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Hadi replaced long-time dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted after a year of mass protests across the country.