In Yemen, the deputy governor of Abyan province, Ahmed al-Rahawi, survived an assassination attempt yesterday when his convoy was ambushed in al-Rai district of Jaar.

AFP says a roadside bomb exploded, injuring three soldiers and a fourth person who was in al-Rahawi's car. A civilian was reported wounded by gunfire.

NewYemen does not mention a bomb but says the attackers fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the convoy.

Al-Rahawi survived an earlier assassination attempt last month.

Meanwhile, in northern Yemen, two people – a border security guard and a pro-government tribesman – were shot dead in the Barat district of al-Jawf province, according to the interior ministry.

It appears that the government and the Houthi rebels had set up rival checkpoints in the area.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 19 September 2010.