Top security official shot dead in Yemen’s Shabwah

A senior security official was gunned down by suspected Houthi gunmen in southeastern Yemen on Saturday, according to a local security source.

The gunmen opened fire on security operations chief Ali Naji al-Sharif in Usaylan district in Shabwah province and fled the scene unscathed, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but the security source suggested that the gunmen belonged to a Houthi-run cell, without giving further details.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.