Suicide bomber kills south Yemen army chief

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Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - The commander of military forces in the south of Yemen was killed by a suicide bomber in the port city of Aden on Monday, days after troops drove Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda from their southern strongholds.

The killing of Major General Salem Ali Qatan highlighted the tenuous grip of Yemen's central authorities on the south despite a month of U.S.-supported bombardments and airstrikes aimed at crushing the militants.

The Defense Ministry said the suicide bomber, a member of al Qaeda Islamist insurgency, hurled himself at Qatan's vehicle, also killing two soldiers escorting him. It identified the bomber as a Somali but gave no other details.

Pools of blood coated the street where the bomber struck.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/18/us-yemen-assassination-idUSBRE85H1E120120618

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. That's an important assassination.

Knocking off the top military guy in the region.

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2. Decapitation by bomb belt.

Not the first time for that sort of thing, by any means.

As with a couple other things that have happened, this indicates serious problems with physical security, IIRC some guy blew himself up in the middle of their "elite" barracks a while back.

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3. Top Yemen commander killed; al Qaeda claims responsibility

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- One of Yemen's top military leaders died Monday in the southern port city of Aden in a suicide attack for which al Qaeda claimed responsibility.

The Defense Ministry said Salem Qatan, commander of the Southern Regions, was leaving his home on his way to work when a Somali national ran at his vehicle and detonated himself. Qatan died immediately, along with two of his guards.

Witnesses told CNN that he was well-guarded at the time of the attack.

As top commander in southern Yemen, Qatan is the highest-ranking military commander killed by al Qaeda since Yemen joined the war on terror.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/18/world/meast/yemen-military-leader-killed/index.html