Yemen

Two senior Yemeni officers killed in separate attacks

338864_Yemen-police-officersTwo senior Yemeni officers have been killed in separate attacks by gunmen in the southern part of the country, a security source says.

According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Sunday, Brigadier General Saddam Hussein al-Dhahri, the head of security at the presidential palace in Taiz, lost his life after unknown gunmen opened fire on him as he left work in the city.

On the same day, armed men shot and killed Police Colonel Abdullah Gaithallah in the province of al-Bayda, the source added.

Attacks against Yemeni military personnel have been on the rise over the past months with officials in Yemen blaming the attacks on al-Qaeda militants operating in the Arabian Peninsula. Shabwa Province is a stronghold for the terrorist group.

Al-Qaeda loyalists have carried out a spate of deadly attacks against Yemeni security forces since former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh’s successor, President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, came to power in February 2012.

Last month, gunmen attacked security personnel near a gas terminal in the southern province of Shabwa, killing eight policemen. Gunmen also carried out three separate attacks, involving car bombings, in Shabwa, killing over 50 Yemeni soldiers in September.

An attack by militants on a security base in the province of al-Bayda on October 17 killed eight soldiers and wounded several others.

On the same day, six soldiers lost their lives in a car bombing at a military command center in Ahwar district in the southern province of Abyan.

Back to top button