Yemen: Gunmen Assassinate Official in Taiz Amid Rising Violence

In a crime that shook the province of Taiz in southwestern Yemen, unknown gunmen assassinated a prominent local official this Thursday morning, in an incident that is the first of its kind targeting a woman in an official position within the province.

Local and media sources confirmed that the gunmen fired a barrage of bullets directly at Afthan Al-Mashhari, the director of the "Cleaning and Improvement Fund" in Taiz, while she was passing in her car in the area of Joulah Sinan in the city center, which led to her immediate death, amidst the shock and astonishment of passersby.

The city witnessed a security alert following the incident, while local authorities have not yet issued any official statement regarding the circumstances of the crime or the identity of the perpetrators, and no group has claimed responsibility for the assassination.

Al-Mashhari was considered one of the few effective female figures in local administrative affairs, known for her integrity and dedication to work.

Over the past years, she oversaw the development of the "Cleaning and Improvement Fund" and achieved a noticeable improvement in the quality of environmental services in the city of Taiz, earning her wide respect among residents and colleagues.

This crime comes amid a sharp increase in acts of violence and assassinations recently witnessed in the city of Taiz, where several security leaders have been targeted in the past few days, raising widespread concerns about security breakdown in the province.

The assassination of Al-Mashhari is the first incident of its kind targeting a female official in Taiz, which has sparked a wave of condemnation and anger in community circles, amid increasing calls for the urgent disclosure of the perpetrators and holding them accountable.

The crime is not only a loss for Al-Mashhari's family and colleagues at work but also a warning bell signaling the growing phenomenon of targeting local competencies in a province that is considered one of the most tense areas in Yemen since the outbreak of the conflict.