AL-MUKALLA: Armed men on a motorbike shot and killed a Yemeni security officer investigating the murder of a UN employee in the southern city of Taiz on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the efforts of local security services to restore order and peace to the chaotic city.
Adnan Al-Muhya, an intelligence and criminal investigation officer, was walking through the Al-Jehmlah area of Taiz when assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on him and fled, leaving him bleeding to death, Lt. Col. Usama Al-Sharabi, a spokesperson for Taiz police, told Arab News.
The Security Committee in Taiz, which is composed of the governor and security services, stated in the obituary that the assassination of Al-Muhya is a significant loss for security services in Taiz and a setback to their efforts to maintain peace and stability in the city, pledging to track down the perpetrators.
Al-Muhya is said to be a member of a security committee comprised of security, intelligence, and judicial officials entrusted with investigating the murder of Moayad Hameidi, a World Food Programme worker who was assassinated in Taiz Al-Turbah last month.
No one has claimed responsibility for the drive-by shootings that resulted in the deaths of the Yemeni officer and the UN employee.
Al-Sharabi refused to provide any updates on the ongoing investigation into the death of the UN worker or to speculate on who may have been responsible for the murder of Al-Muhya.
A local officer told Arab News that security services do not rule out the possibility that security personnel disclosed Al-Muhya’s location and movements to his assailants.
“No one is aware that he is a member of the committee investigating the death of the UN worker because he is an intelligence officer who has never worn a security uniform,” the officer said, requesting anonymity.
The officer, who is familiar with the inquiry into the assassination of the WFP worker, stated that Yemeni investigators in Taiz are confident that Al-Qaeda assassinated the UN worker, and that his guard, who was said to be from a security firm based in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, has been detained and questioned, noting that the UN worker made a mistake by not informing all governor, security, and military services in Taiz about his visit in order to protect him.
“He coordinated with a security officer pal. All security, military, and intelligence services were not told of the WFP worker’s visit to Taiz, and we only found out about it after he died,” the officer said.
Following the killing of the UN worker, authorities in Taiz launched an anti-arms campaign and deployed security personnel in the city’s countryside, which has long been plagued by lawlessness. During the operation, 20 suspects in the drive-by shootings were detained and dozens of firearms were seized.
Meanwhile, the ambassadors of the US, UK, and France on Tuesday voiced their support for Yemen’s internationally recognized government after armed men besieged the presidential palace in the southern Yemeni city of Aden.
In a joint statement, the ambassadors urged Yemeni political factions to support the efforts of the Yemeni government to restore state institutions and implement economic reforms.
“It is essential that all political components support the government’s efforts on behalf of the Yemeni people and that government institutions are respected. We also encourage the Yemeni government to continue implementing economic and other reforms,” the ambassadors said.
On Sunday, armed men said to be loyal to a local military commander briefly besieged the presidential palace in Aden, where Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik Saeed was living, for his refusal to sign papers from their leader. The Aden Al-Ghad newspaper reported on Wednesday that new security forces were deployed around the presidential palace to safeguard the prime minister and other officials.
