Police colonel among shooting deaths in Yemen's Aden
Gunmen killed five people in Aden's Mansura district on Sunday as militants continue to target security forces in the city.
2 min read
Yemeni security forces have been targeted by militants in Aden [Getty]
Unidentified gunmen have killed a police officer and four others in Aden in a wave of attacks targeting security forces in the war-torn port city.
Assailants on Sunday opened fire on a police vehicle carrying Colonel Taha al-Sobeihi in Aden's Mansura district, killing him along with a bodyguard and a female bystander, a security official said.
Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group both have a presence in the city, where militants occupy government buildings and are seen patrolling streets and intimidating civilians.
They have claimed a string of attacks and assassinations in recent months.
Late on Saturday, unidentified gunmen killed a soldier in Mansura, a security official said.
The man was a recruit in a new force loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and trained by the Saudi-led coalition, which in March launched a military campaign against rebels who had overrun large swathes of the country.
Hadi last year named Aden as his government's temporary capital, after Houthi rebels stormed Sanaa in September 2014.
Militants in the city have distributed pamphlets in mosques, warning men against enrolling in the new force against Houthi insurgents, claiming it would "bring back tyranny", residents said.
Another man was shot dead on Saturday when gunmen attempted to kidnap him along with his father in Aden's Crater district, a security official said. The two belonged to the Shia-affiliated Bohra minority.
Four members of that community in Aden have been kidnapped by "extremists" in recent days. Three have already been released, the official said.
Meanwhile, suspected al-Qaeda militants blew up a vacant police station in Huta, the main city in Lahj province, which is controlled by loyalists.
Hadi returned to Aden after loyalists backed by coalition forces pushed the rebels and their allies out of the city and four other southern provinces in the summer.
The president had sought refuge in Aden from the rebel-held capital last February, but a Houthi advance on the south in March forced him to flee to Riyadh.
Assailants on Sunday opened fire on a police vehicle carrying Colonel Taha al-Sobeihi in Aden's Mansura district, killing him along with a bodyguard and a female bystander, a security official said.
Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group both have a presence in the city, where militants occupy government buildings and are seen patrolling streets and intimidating civilians.
They have claimed a string of attacks and assassinations in recent months.
Late on Saturday, unidentified gunmen killed a soldier in Mansura, a security official said.
The man was a recruit in a new force loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and trained by the Saudi-led coalition, which in March launched a military campaign against rebels who had overrun large swathes of the country.
Hadi last year named Aden as his government's temporary capital, after Houthi rebels stormed Sanaa in September 2014.
Militants in the city have distributed pamphlets in mosques, warning men against enrolling in the new force against Houthi insurgents, claiming it would "bring back tyranny", residents said.
Another man was shot dead on Saturday when gunmen attempted to kidnap him along with his father in Aden's Crater district, a security official said. The two belonged to the Shia-affiliated Bohra minority.
Four members of that community in Aden have been kidnapped by "extremists" in recent days. Three have already been released, the official said.
Meanwhile, suspected al-Qaeda militants blew up a vacant police station in Huta, the main city in Lahj province, which is controlled by loyalists.
Hadi returned to Aden after loyalists backed by coalition forces pushed the rebels and their allies out of the city and four other southern provinces in the summer.
The president had sought refuge in Aden from the rebel-held capital last February, but a Houthi advance on the south in March forced him to flee to Riyadh.
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