Senior army officer killed in ambush in southern Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- A senior officer of the Yemeni army forces was killed early Friday in an ambush by unidentified gunmen in the southern province of Lahj, a security official told Xinhua.

Colonel Saadan Mohammed al-Sufi, head of the operations at the 201st Armored Army brigade, was killed when a group of unidentified assailants ambushed his convoy in a road linking Taiz province and Lahj, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"The masked group opened fire at the officer's car and a bullet hit him in the forehead, killing him immediately at the scene," the official said.

The assailants escaped after the incident, he added, saying militants of the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) were likely behind the attack.

Military intelligence officers and army commanders in the country's southern regions have been the targets in the last several months. Government authorities usually accuse members of the al-Qaida terrorist group of being behind such attacks.