Yemeni troops shot dead five Al-Qaeda suspects disguised as women who fired at a soldier during a checkpoint inspection of their Saudi-bound bus, AFP reports.
Another suspect was wounded along with the driver in Harad, a town 15 kilometers from the Saudi border, officials said. Two of the suspects killed were Saudis.
All six suspects were dressed in black robes and wore the niqab, a face covering veil commonly worn by women in Yemen, AFP reports.
A suicide belt and weapons were also found on the bus. The wounded suspect and driver were questioned. An official told AFP that “the men are suspected of affiliation with Al-Qaeda and were heading north toward Yemen’s border with Saudi Arabia.”
Yemeni security forces rarely inspect vehicles carrying women.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) seized swathes of southern and eastern Yemen after the 2011 uprising.
The United States considers AQAP to be the most dangerous affiliate of Al-Qaeda.
