SANA'A – Masked gunmen shot dead a counter-terrorism official south of Sana'a Wednesday, a security source said Thursday. Ali Al-Yamani was shot by two motorcycle gunmen in Damar province where he was leading counter-terrorism efforts, the source said, adding the gunmen who fled were suspected of being linked to Al-Qaeda. Another assassination attempt on the mayor of Sana'a, Abdulkader Ali Hilal, failed earlier Thursday, the official Saba news agency reported. Hilal was inspecting preparations for the festivities of Eid Al-Adha when a man on a motorbike attempted to shoot him, the agency said citing a security source. The gunman, alongside the driver of the motorbike, were both captured and Hilal escaped unharmed, the agency said. There have been a number of assassinations and attempted assassination on security officials and politicians following the ejection of militants from towns in Abyan province in south Yemen. The militants took control during an uprising that threw president Ali Abdullah Saleh from office in February. Saleh's successor Abdbabbuh Mansour Hadi has cooperated with Washington in an effort to crush the militants, including stepped up air strikes using US unmanned planes or drones. – Reuters
