Two Saudi military personnel killed in rare insider attack by Yemeni soldier

Officers attacked while exercising at base in Seiyun, say Saudi-led coalition forces in the country

Saudi commandos on parade in Makkah. AP

Two members of the Saudi-led coalition forces stationed in Yemen have been killed in a rare attack by a Yemeni soldier, Saudi officials said.

The Saudi military personnel – a commissioned officer and a non-commissioned officer – were killed and one other injured in a "treacherous, cowardly attack" on their camp in the central city of Seiyun, coalition spokesman Turki Al Malki said in a statement shared by Saudi state media on Saturday.

The officers were helping train local forces to combat terrorism and smuggling and were exercising at the time of the attack, Mr Malki said, adding that the perpetrator was "a member affiliated with the Yemeni Ministry of Defence". Their bodies have been repatriated to Saudi Arabia, he added.

Seiyun is located in the governorate of Hadhramout, which falls under the control of the internationally recognised Yemeni government.

The perpetrator "does not represent the honourable members of the Yemeni Ministry of Defence who appreciate the positive and important role played by the coalition forces" to back the government, Mr Malki said. The attack will be investigated in co-ordination with the ministry, he added.

Aidarous Al Zubaidi, the leader of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council, identified the attacker as belonging to the First Military Region, which is based out of Seiyun. He has not been apprehended, according to local reports.

The incident is a rare attack on Saudi forces in Yemen and was described as a "lone-wolf" incident by state media. The UAE foreign ministry also condemned the attack and expressed "full solidarity" with Saudi and coalition forces.