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Masked gunmen kill Yemeni army officer in drive-by shooting

31 December 2014 02:50 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Unknown gunmen shot dead an army officer in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Tuesday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"Masked gunmen riding a motorbike fired at the officer, Sheaq Mohamed, in Aden's Cairo neighborhood, killing him right on the spot," the local government official said on condition of anonymity.

The source noted that security forces inspected the site and started to search the perpetrators.

Witnesses said "the officer was shot on the head and in his body, and the gunmen successfully escaped the scene."

Earlier in the day, the Yemeni Defense Ministry said suspected al-Qaida gunmen stormed two banks in the southeastern province of Hadramout and robbed about 52 million riyals (242,000 U.S. dollars).

The impoverished Arab country has been gripped by regional al-Qaida insurgency since 2009.

Terrorist groups, mainly based in southern and eastern provinces, have launched frequent suicide attacks on army and security targets, leaving hundreds of people dead.

The security situation worsened in September when the Shiite Houthi group controlled the capital Sanaa.

The Houthis, based in the northern Saada province, then started to enter the country's southern regions and met strong resistance from the Sunni tribes and al-Qaida networks.