ADEN, Yemen, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Armed men believed to be members of the al-Qaida terrorist group blasted an oil pipeline Saturday morning in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, as part of its recent attacks against public facilities and government officials in restive south, a police officer told Xinhua.
The police officer said on condition of anonymity that the attack was carried out by at least four masked assailants targeting an oil pipeline belonging to a government company in al- Buriga in Aden.
The explosion occurred just two days after local government authorities approved the implementation of a new security plan to restore stability across the port city of Aden, the officer said.
The blast caused a huge fire and firefighters were still attempting to control the situation, according to local residents.
No one has claimed responsibility for Saturday's explosion but government officials blamed suspected militants of the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) for attacking the oil pipeline.
Suicide car bombings and violent attacks by the AQAP against military and intelligence officials have increased over the past two weeks across the country's southern regions.
The AQAP attacks underscore the challenges facing the Yemeni government, which is tasked with restoring security and stability to Yemen and putting an end to the growing influence of al-Qaida that threatens the daily oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
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