senior al-Qaeda leader was shot dead by gunmen in southern Yemen’s Abyan province on Saturday, local sources said.
According to the sources, gunmen ambushed the local leader of al-Qaeda Abu Salem al-Walidi nicknamed “Abu Amir”, while he was driving his car on the outskirts of al-Khadira in Lauder district.
Sources said al-Qaeda elements were behind the assassination, as part of an internal conflict.
The source confirmed that al-Walidi, a former financial official of the organisation in Abyan province, was also killed in the ambush.
The source pointed out that al-Walidi was arrested on December 6, 2017, during a campaign carried out by the UAE-backed Security Belt forces, but was later released.
The central directorates in Abyan province have been witnessing widespread al-Qaeda activity, amidst Saudi and Emirati support and use of the terrorists in their occupation of Yemen.
