Suicide bomber kills south Yemen army chief

The commander of the military in Yemen's southern region was killed in a suicide attack in Aden early on Monday, medics and a security official said, after the army drove al-Qaeda-linked militants from their strongholds in the area.

The bomber, who was wearing an explosives belt, targeted Major General Salem Ali Qatan as he was on his way to work, witnesses said. He was taken to hospital, where he died. A doctor said 12 people, including 9 soldiers, were wounded.

Monday's attack showed that militants have the ability to strike despite losing ground to the army, which regained control of several towns in the southern province of Abyan last week.

Yemeni analysts said the assassination bore the hallmarks of al-Qaeda in Yemen, and was probably carried out in revenge for Qatan's role in the army offensive against the militants, which was launched under his supervision.

Islamist fighters, emboldened by weak central government control, went on a rampage in Yemen's south last year while former US-backed dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh was grappling with protests that eventually toppled him.

Saleh was replaced by his vice president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, in a deal orchestrated by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Much of the regime remains intact, raising concerns that a full transition to democracy is in jeopardy, largely due to Washington and Riyadh seeking to retain their interests in the impoverished Arab state.

The US, alarmed by the apparent strength of al-Qaeda-linked group Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), has supported the Yemeni army offensive against the militants, and increased its use of drones in the country.

US drones have been a source of outrage for many Yemenis, with the strikes frequently killing civilians.

(Reuters, Al-Akhbar)