Last week, an Al Qaeda suicide car bomber stormed a military base in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, killing at least 15 soldiers and injuring dozens.
The Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) based in Yemen's southern regions has repeatedly said that its attacks were in revenge for joint US-Yemeni operations including drone strikes against the group.
Drone strikes have increased since August after the US temporarily closed its embassy in Sanaa due to security threats. The Yemeni government said more than 40 suspected AQAP fighters were killed in the strikes.
Earlier in the day, suspected Al Qaeda gunmen shot dead an officer of the military intelligence agency near his home in Sanaa, a government official told Xinhua.
"The Al Qaeda gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire at Col. Abdulrahman al-Shami, who works in the military intelligence department, as he got out of his residential building in central Sanaa," the government official said on condition of anonymity.
Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that the unknown attackers fled the crime scene after the incident.
Updated on: October 25, 2013 8:52 IST
