As popular unrest is once again threatening to gain momentum, fed by political frustration and a lack of clear direction on the part of the coalition government, security officials confirmed that yet another military intelligence high ranking officer had been targeted by al-Qaeda in Ataq, located in the south-eastern province of Shabwa.
Colonel Ahmed Hashim was gunned down by unidentified armed men on Saturday evening as he was travelling from his office back to his residence. In typical a-Qaeda style, the Colonel was ambushed by militants riding motorcycles. According to preliminary reports he was killed instantly.
Local sources recalled seeing the motorcyclists making their escape after the shoot-out.
Xinhua quoted an eye witness as saying on the matter, “the officer was driving toward his home when targeted by armed men. Police subsequently sealed off the street and deployed forces in the area.”
While an investigation has been launched into the assassination, security sources have said to be certain al-Qaeda ordered the strike against Colonel Hashim, just as it did against countless military, security and intelligence officers since 2011 across Yemen’s restive southern territories.
Although Yemen central government has thrown its weight behind al-Qaeda, determined to crackdown on the terror group at any cost, Islamists have managed through such guerrilla-type warfare to seriously jeopardized Yemen’s ability to run its counter-terror strategy.
Keen strategists, al-Qaeda has exploited Yemen’s political instability to its advantage, using the state’s weaknesses to dig its claw further into Yemen’s tribal structure, banking on poverty, a lack of state amenities and prospect to drive its radical narrative.