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Separatist gunmen attack government compound in southern Yemen

21 July 2012 03:16 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A group of pro-secession gunmen attacked a government compound in Yemen’s southern province of al-Dhalea on Friday evening, injuring at least three policemen, a security official said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Up to eight gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades against the local council headquarters in al-Dhalea province, leaving at least three policemen injured, the local security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"The attackers first fired grenades at the gate of the government’s complex, then they opened fire and tried fight their way inside," the security official said.

"The pro-secession gunmen fled the area after one-hour battle with the policemen around the building," the official added.

Government offices and police headquarters are common targets for pro-secession gunmen in the country’s restive south. Earlier this week the Defense Ministry said that "unknown gunmen abducted a soldier and cut off three of his fingers in the capital of the al-Dhalea province."

Elsewhere, a senior Yemeni security official survived an assassination attempt by unknown assailants in the neighboring southern province of Lahj, according to the provincial police spokesman.