At least six soldiers were killed and three injured Friday when armed men ambushed government troops in Yemen, a military official said.
"Government troops were on their way to provide reinforcement to a military checkpoint in al-Bayda province when their convoy was ambushed by suspected Al Qaeda militants," the military official told Xinhua.
He said in the shootout between the militants and the soldiers which lasted for about an hour, six soldiers were killed on the spot.
A security officer said that the incident could be considered a "retaliatory action" by the Al Qaeda militants against the armed forces who have been conducting intensified military operations against their hideouts in the south.
The Yemeni armed forces, backed by mechanised battalions, air force and special forces have killed, wounded and captured dozens of local and foreign suspected Al Qaeda militants during the offensive that started two weeks ago.