Yemeni police officer gunned down

Unknown gunmen riding on a motorcycle opened fire on Said Lardi, killing him and wounding another policeman in country's southeastern province

AFP , Saturday 19 Nov 2011

A Yemeni police officer was gunned down Saturday by unknown assailants in the country's southeastern Hadramawt province, a police official said.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, the official said "unknown gunmen riding on a motorcycle opened fire on Said Lardi, killing him and wounding another policeman" in the provincial capital Mukallah.

He said the gunmen escaped after the shooting. Medical officials said the officer initially survived the attack but died later in hospital from severe injuries.

Security forces and government officials are regularly targeted in Yemen's restive southern and eastern provinces as Al-Qaeda linked militants and a long-standing separatist movement have been emboldened by months of anti-government protests that have crippled the central government.