Yemen: Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists kill American teacher

A damaged vehicle purported to belong to an American teacher shot by gunmen is towed away in Taiz, Yemen, Sunday, March 18, 2012. Two gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead early Sunday an American teacher working at a language institute in a central Yemeni city, the region's provincial governor said. (AP Photo)

SANAA (Reuters) - Gunmen linked to al Qaeda shot dead an American teacher in Yemen on Sunday, accusing him of Christian "proselytizing", and officials said government forces had killed a dozen militants in clashes and attacks on their strongholds.

The incidents underscore the challenges facing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who took office last month after a year of massive protests against his predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh.

A police source in the city of Taiz said a gunman riding on a motorcycle driven by an accomplice shot the U.S. English language teacher, who was also deputy director of a language school, the Swedish Institute.

Officials from the institute in Taiz, Yemen's commercial hub 200 km (120 miles) south of Sanaa, identified the victim as Joel Shrun and said he was born in 1983.

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