Gunmen shot dead a senior Yemeni intelligence officer in an overnight attack that targeted him on his way home in the eastern province of Hadramawt, a security official told AFP on Monday.

"Two unidentified gunmen on a motorbike intercepted Colonel Shakir Awad al-Bani, who was heading home also on a motorbike, wounding him" before fleeing, the official said, adding that Bani later died of his wounds.

Members of the security forces frequently come under attack by gunmen especially across south and east Yemen, where Al-Qaeda militants are still active.

An anti-Qaeda offensive by the military ended the control in June of jihadist militants in a string of towns and cities which they had held across the south for a year.