Local officials confirmed on Sunday morning the death of yet another security officer in the south-eastern province of Hadhramawt by the hands of al-Qaeda militants late on Saturday.
A local official already told the press on condition of anonymity "Two al-Qaeda gunmen on a motorbike shot dead assistant director of the criminal investigations Abdel Kader Hazza, who is also in charge of a counter-terrorism unit in Shiher town of Hadramout."
Several high to middle ranking security officers have been systematically targeted over the past 12 months, just as the government continues to crackdown on terror cells throughout its southern provinces.
Officials believe the targeting of officers is part of al-Qaeda's plan to destabilize the region and diminish the state's abilities to foil Islamists' plans in Yemen.
Over 76 security officers have been killed since 2012.
Al-Qaeda in Yemen proved to be a lethal and mighty destructive force when in 2011 the group used Yemen power vacuum and institutional instability to seize large swathes of lands and self-proclaim Zinjibar and Jaar Islamic Caliphates.
Only through a large military escalation could the government reclaim its lands and push back al-Qaeda back into hiding.
Severely diminished the terror group continues however to play havoc as its militants reverted to guerrilla tactics, such as targeted assassination, to eat away at the country's foundations.