Senior security officer killed by gunmen in southeast Yemen

ADEN/SANAA, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Yemeni senior security police officer was shot dead on Saturday afternoon in attack by unidentified gunmen in the southeastern province of Hadramout, a security official said.

Two unidentified gunmen on a motorbike opened heavy fire on a military vehicle, killing a high-ranking security police officer in al-Mukalla city, the provincial capital of Hadramout province, a local security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"Major Seaid Lardhi, director of the Criminal Investigation of Mukalla, was shot dead by two masked attackers near a crowded public market in the central city," the official said, adding that "he was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards."

He added that a bodyguard of Lardhi was wounded with a gunshot by the militants who then escaped the scene.

The attack bore the hallmarks of the al-Qaida terrorist group, according to the official.

Hadramout province, some 794 km southeast of Sanaa, witnessed sporadic shoot-outs and motorbike attacks targeting security and intelligence officials during the past few months as government authorities usually accuse al-Qaida militants.

Fears mounted that al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) may exploit the upheaval that have been rattling the impoverished country since late January to expand its foothold.