Yemen defense chief escapes militants' ambush

Saturday, May 10, 2014

SANA, Yemen -- Yemen's defense minister escaped an assassination attempt Friday when suspected al-Qaida militants ambushed his motorcade as he was visiting strategic areas in the south and a sprawling al-Qaida base recaptured by the army, security and military officials said.

Officials said Mohammed Nasser Ahmed was on his way to check on forces in the Mahfad region when gunmen opened fire on the convoy.

The attack came as government forces pushed back militants in fighting atop a hill overlooking the region's main road, they said. Troops killed three militants and captured two wounded ones.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department said Friday that two officers at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen shot and killed a pair of armed Yemeni civilians during an attempted abduction of the Americans at a Sana business last month.

The officers have left Yemen, Marie Harf, a spokesman for the State Department, said in a statement. No other details were provided.

Citing unidentified U.S. officials, The New York Times reported that the Americans were a CIA officer and a lieutenant colonel with the elite Joint Special Operations Command who were visiting a barbershop in an upscale district in Yemen's capital.

Within days of the shooting, both Americans left Yemen with the approval of the Yemeni government, the newspaper reported. It said the shooting occurred on April 24.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Embassy in Sana closed temporarily because of attacks on Westerners. A day before Tuesday's closure, gunmen opened fire on three French security guards working with the European Union mission in the Yemeni capital, killing one and wounding another.

A Section on 05/10/2014