Security officials say suspected al-Qaida gunmen have killed a military intelligence official in central Yemen.

Officials say Lt. Col. Mohammed el-Mamari was shot on his way home Sunday. He was walking to his car after work when two unidentified gunmen killed him in the central province of Bayda. The officials spoke anonymously in line with regulations.

Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen is active in Bayda. The U.S. is believed to have carried out drone strikes on militants there.

Separately, hundreds of supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh burnt tires along a main road in the capital Sanaa on Sunday to protest his successor, President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The protests come after clashes erupted on Friday when a group of soldiers loyal to Saleh tried to storm the presidential palace.