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epa03882964 A Yemeni soldier (L) keeps watch as people walk through the main gate of the Old City of Sana’a, Yemen, 25 September 2013.Reports state representatives from more than 40 countries and international organizations are set to attend in New York on 25 September a ministerial-level meeting of the Friends of Yemen group to talk on Yemen's economic and political recovery plan. The Arab country is struggling to absorb international aid and implement real power changes. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB Image Credit: EPA

Sana’a: A Yemeni military official says an army officer was killed by a bomb planted in his car by suspected Al Qaida militants.

The official says the bomb went off on Wednesday as the officer was driving from work in the southern city of Ataq in Shabwa province, once an Al Qaida stronghold.

The official says the explosion, which had all the hallmarks of Al Qaida, also wounded two people. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Yemen is fighting a war against Al Qaida’s local branch, considered by Washington as one of the world’s most dangerous offshoots of the terror network.

The branch has carried out large suicide attacks and assassinations in the past years, including killing two officers in drive-by shootings this week.