Six Yemeni army soldiers were killed in an ambush by suspected Al Qaeda gunmen Wednesday in Yemen's Shabwa province, a security official said.
The attack took place in the Nushyma region near the Belhaf port, the only port used to export natural gas in Yemen.
The soldiers, who were on a military patrol, were ambushed by a group of well-armed assailants and were killed at the scene, Xinhua quoted a security source as saying while seeking anonymity.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the ambush.