Sanaa: Yemeni security officials say a drive- by shooting killed a top pro-government militia leader and five of his companions in the southern city of Aden, just hours after he reluctantly handed over control of the city's strategic port to government troops.


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The officials say gunmen opened fire from a speeding car early today, killing Ahmed al-Idrisi and five others as they were leaving a wedding party in the Mansoura neighborhood.


No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.


Yemen's al-Qaida and Islamic State affiliates have exploited the country's civil war to run lucrative smuggling operations through the Aden port.


The officials claim that al-Idrisi publicly backed the internationally recognized government but maintained secret deals with extremists and anti-government forces.