SANAA - Suspected Al Qaeda militants shot dead a Yemeni intelligence officer in south Yemen, a security official said on Saturday, in at least the sixth such attack blamed on the resurgent group since June.
The officer was gunned down by two men as he walked outside his home late on Friday in the flashpoint southern province of Lahej, the security official said, adding that the attackers were suspected Al Qaeda operatives.
Al QaedaÂ’s Yemen-based regional wing previously attacked Western and Saudi targets, but appears to be targeting government forces in response to enhanced Yemen-US security coordination in government crackdowns on the militant group.
As a result of the crackdown, an Al Qaeda leader in the northern province of Al Jouf surrendered to government forces, a security official told Reuters on Saturday. The official identified the man as Juman Safian, without giving further details.
| Now he's being questioned by the colleagues of the dead Yemeni intel officer. That's going to end up well for Juman ... |
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