Senior Yemeni intelligence officer shot dead

Unidentified gunmen have killed a senior intelligence officer while travelling in his car in the southwestern Yemeni city of Aden, a security official says.

Colonel Marawan al-Moqbouli was shot dead early on Thursday, said the official speaking on condition of anonymity.

No group has claimed responsibility for the assassination, but police officials say the main suspects are militants linked to al-Qaeda.

Yemeni security forces frequently come under attack by gunmen especially in the southern and eastern parts of the country.

On Tuesday, three people were killed in three explosions targeting security administration buildings in Aden.

A day earlier, eight people, including five soldiers, were killed in an assault on an army position in the southwestern province of Lahij.

Armed assailants also killed three soldiers and injured several others in an attack on an army checkpoint at the entrance of Shahr, a town in Hadhramout province, on December 26.

On December 21, armed tribesmen attacked a military post in the same province, killing three soldiers.