Yemeni colonel killed by gunmen in Aden

A colonel was killed in Yemen's temporary capital on Friday, just a day after Aden's police chief escaped a suicide bombing.

Traffic police chief, Colonel Marwan Abdulalim was targeted by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike as he was driving towards a mosque in central Aden, a security official said.

The attack comes just a day after Aden's head of security escaped a third assassination attempt.

The bombing wounded several people, but General Shallal Shayae escaped unharmed.

Witnesses suggest the bomber detonated his explosive-laden vehicle as he was stopped at a security checkpoint near the general’s house.

No group has yet claimed Thursday’s attack, however the general has survived several attacks by militants in the past.

In February, al-Qaeda ambushed his convoy in Aden as he was driving around with the city’s governor, Aidarus al-Zubaidi.

The pair also survived a prior car bombing in January which left two security guards dead.

Yemen’s second city has been infiltrated with al-Qaeda and Islamic State group militants since a power vacuum caused by the Saudi-led coalition war on Houthis allowed the extremists to thrive.

Numerous attacks have rocked the otherwise-calm coastal city since the war began in March last year.

Houthi rebels seized control of Aden after the internationally recognised government established its base in the southern city but were forced out by Saudi-led coalition forces in July.

Since then, terror attacks have been frequent in Aden, with dozens of police officers and military personnel being killed by militants who accuse the government of "apostasy".

Meanwhile, pro-government forces recaptured the key port city of Mukalla almost a year after it was seized by al-Qaeda earlier this week and have made equal progress in Huta, another western province.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Zinjbar, capital of the southern Abyan province – an al-Qaeda stronghold - demanding the departure of the militants, witnesses said.

"No more Qaeda, we want to live safely," they chanted according to witnesses.

Pro-government forces are said to be stationed on a road linking Aden to Zinjibar as they prepare to continue their offensive to drive militants out of the southern provinces.

Yemen's al-Qaeda branch – al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – is regarded as the most dangerous arm of the militant group. 

The United States has waged a drone war against AQAP since 2002, killing several of its commanders in the process.