Aden: Gunmen ambushed and killed eight policemen Monday near a gas terminal in southern Yemen, a security official told AFP.
The attack took place as the police were driving to a security checkpoint near the Belhaf terminal, in the southern Shabwa province, the official said.
“Armed men in two cars opened fire on the policemen, killing them on the spot,” he said. He was unable to identify the assailants or explain their motives.
Earlier Monday, a special forces officer was abducted by armed men northeast of Balhaf, and his body was later found to the west. He had been shot three times.
The corpse was found not far from where the eight policemen were killed, another security source said.
Yemeni security personnel have come under increasing attack in recent months, particularly in the south and east of the country, with authorities generally blaming Al Qaida.
Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has taken advantage of the weakening of the central government since an Arab Spring-inspired uprising in 2011 toppled president Ali Abdullah Saleh after 33 years in power.
In September, the army said it had foiled a bid to attack Balhaf, the country’s only gas export terminal, hours after suspected Al Qaida fighters killed 56 soldiers in a coordinated attack in Shabwa.
Washington regards AQAP as the global jihadist network’s most dangerous affiliate and has stepped up drone strikes targeting the militants.
