Suspected Al-Qaeda militants killed 15 Yemeni soldiers today when they attacked a military checkpoint in the city of Shibam in the southeastern province of Hadramawt, a security source said.
"Unknown armed men suspected to be from Al-Qaeda attacked an army checkpoint in Shibam, killing 15 soldiers and wounding several others," the official said on condition of anonymity.
He added there were also casualties among the attackers, but "they were able to withdraw with their dead and wounded".
He said that "Al-Qaeda took advantage of tension in Hadramawt province to carry out this cowardly attack".
Hadramawt is a stronghold for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), viewed by Washington as the most deadly affiliate of the global jihadist network, and where security forces care regularly targeted.
The province has also been hit by protests against the central government since December after the army killed a tribal chief, Said Ben Habrish, and his bodyguards.
