Top security official shot dead in Yemen's Aden

By Mohammed al-Samei

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - A senior security official was shot dead in Yemen's coastal city of Aden on Monday, according to a local security official.

Unidentified gunmen opened fire on Abdul Karim Abdullah, the deputy security chief of the 7th security zone, inside a restaurant, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was unauthorized to speak to media.

He said the attackers had fled the scene unscathed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Aden has recently seen a spate of assassinations that targeted a number of security officials, preachers and party leaders.

The city has served as a temporary headquarters for the Yemeni government since Houthi rebels overran much of the country -- including capital Sanaa -- in 2014.

The following year, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as an Iranian proxy force -- launched a massive military campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.