“The security forces found the body of Lieut. Col. Al-Numeiri Abdo Al-Oudi,” who was the deputy police chief in Al-Qotn village, the official said.
Oudi’s body had “received several shots in the chest while his ears were cut off and his eyes gouged out”.
The official said Al-Qaeda militants, who are active in southern and eastern Yemen, could have been behind the killing as “no other party can be barbaric to such a degree”.
Unidentified gunmen kidnapped the police commander on Nov.29 as he made his way to the mosque in Al-Qotn for dawn prayers, said the same source.
Deadly attacks against officers of the security forces are common in Yemen, a country engaged in a difficult political transition after year-long protests forced veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh to quit in November 2011.
The uprising weakened the central government and Al-Qaeda took advantage by reinforcing its presence in the lawless south, although government forces have since seized back a string of cities and towns.
