Aden (Yemen), Jul 22 (IANS): Unidentified gunmen shot dead an employee of the UN World Food Programme in Yemen's southwestern province of Taiz, a security official told the media.

"Assailants riding a motorcycle targeted and killed the head of the WFP's team in Taiz, who was on his way to the province for humanitarian and relief purposes," the local security official said on condition of anonymity on Friday.

The attackers targeted the UN employee, identified as a Jordanian national, with a barrage of bullets when he was leaving a local restaurant in At Turbah region, south of Taiz, resulting in his immediate death, the official added.

The World Food Programme is an essential international organisation dedicated to combating hunger and malnutrition in crisis-ridden regions like Yemen, Xinhua news agency reported.

The identity and motives of the gunmen remain undisclosed. According to the official, the government forces are investigating the incident and pledged to capture those responsible for the attack.

Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014, with the Houthi rebels fighting against the internationally-recognised government and its allies, mainly a Saudi Arabia-led coalition.

The war disrupted Yemen's food supply chain and caused widespread famine, bringing the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of collapse.