Yemen police colonel, bodyguard gunned down in south

Houthi militiamen guard an entrance of the Republican Palace in Sanaa AFP/Sanaa

Suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen killed a senior police officer and his bodyguard on Tuesday in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramawt, a stronghold of the extremist network, a security official said. Two men opened fire from a motorbike at the car of Colonel Murad al-Amudi, deputy director of criminal investigation in provincial capital Mukalla, the official told AFP. Both the colonel and his bodyguard were killed instantly and the assailants then fled, he said. The attack comes amid rising security fears in Yemen since the Shiite Huthi militia tightened its grip on power in the capital Sanaa early this month, prompting an exodus of foreign diplomats. The Huthis' attempt to extend their control has been met by deadly resistance from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), considered by Washington to be the jihadist network's most dangerous branch. Sunni tribes have also fought the Shiite militia since it overran Sanaa in September. AQAP frequently attacks both Yemeni security forces and Western targets. Long on the front line of the war against Al-Qaeda, Yemen has descended into chaos since the Huthis seized Sanaa and later ousted the government.