Protesters march during a demonstration to demand the cancellation of immunity for former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh and for him to be brought to trial, in Sanaa, yesterday. Photograph: Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters
A masked gunman on a motorcycle killed a Yemeni security official, Qassem Aqlani, an employee of the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa for about 20 years. They attacked him as he was riding in his car to work yesterday.
The attacker fled but it is the type of attack carried out by al-Qaida. The murdered official would be considered a soft target, an easy mark for the terrorist group.
Yemen lost southern parts of its country to al-Qaida last year and is battling to regain the territory from al-Qaida’s Yemen branch.
The presence of al-Qaida in the mid-East and Africa has grown more powerful despite President Obama’s claims that once Osama bin Laden was killed, al-Qaida was weakened and is a relatively insignificant force in the region.
Sanaa had a violent protest at the U.S. Embassy last month – the wall was breached.
Listen to Lara Logan talk about the region based on her extensive experience and knowledge:
Recent Comments