Trader from Hadramout killed in armed attack on Abyan road

ABYAN, Oct. 23 (YPA) – A trader from Yemen’s Hadramout province was shot dead by tribal gunmen early Friday on the coastal road in Ahwar district, Abyan province, southern Yemen, a local source familiar with the matter said .

According to the source, the gunmen opened fire on Ahmed Abdullah Hussein al-Kathiri’s vehicle about 50 kilometers from the center of Ahwar district, along the road to Shabwa province. Al-Kathiri, who was from Wadi Hadramout, was taken to Ahwar Hospital by passing travelers but later died.

The source said the gunmen were known to Saudi-backed authorities in Abyan and had been involved in similar killings and highway robberies targeting dozens of travelers, particularly those from Hadramout. The source described the attacks as part of a “systematic campaign targeting Hadramout residents.”

Al-Kathiri’s family was making arrangements to transfer his body from Ahwar Hospital to his hometown in Wadi Hadramout for burial, the source added. The killing sparked public anger amid growing insecurity in the area.

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks along the same road. In July, gunmen reportedly cut off the ear of Mohammed Omar Jamaan bin Khamis, a bus driver from Al-Qatn in Hadramout. In late September, gunmen also attacked a bus carrying Hadramout’s Tadhamon football team in the same area.

@E.Y.M