Yemen Intelligence Officer Gunned Down in Aden
Gunmen killed a senior Yemeni intelligence officer in the main southern city of Aden, the latest in a spate of assassinations to hit the south, a security official said on Monday.
Lieutenant Colonel Ali Ahmed Abd Rabbo was driving along the main coast road on Sunday evening when protesters blocked his way, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"As soon as his car stopped, gunmen opened fire, riddling the vehicle with bullets and killing the colonel," the official said, adding that it was unclear whether the gunmen were from among the demonstrators or militants who had infiltrated the protest.
In a village west of Aden, army Colonel Naji Aitha escaped with minor injuries when militants detonated explosives outside his home on Sunday, the official added.
East of Aden, fighting raged on Monday for the Abyan provincial capital of Zinjibar, where troops have been trying to dislodge al-Qaida linked militants, residents and another security official told Agence France Presse.
The Yemeni government announced on Saturday that troops had liberated the city from the Partisans of Sharia (Islamic Law) militants, who overran the city in May.
But military officials told AFP that parts of the city remained in the hands of the militants and that only the east and north were under the control of the army.
At least 230 Yemeni soldiers and 50 tribal auxiliaries have been killed in the battle for Zinjibar, the defense ministry said on Sunday.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/14801 |