Sanaa, July 6 (IANS): At least six Yemeni army personnel were killed in an ambush Sunday by suspected Al Qaeda gunmen in Yemen.
The killings occurred in the southern province of Abyan, a security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
"The six army personnel were travelling by a military vehicle on main road town of Mahfad in Abyan," the security source said.
"The Al Qaeda militants stopped them in a well-planned ambush, forced them out of the vehicle, and shot them dead at the scene," the source added.
The government troops backed by anti-Al Qaeda militiamen in Abyan have already launched operations against the terrorist group members, according to the report.
A military intelligence source confirmed the incident saying that "the team of soldiers from the 21st Mechanized Brigade was onboard a military vehicle coming back toward their army base when the team was attacked by armed terrorists".
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Yemeni military officials blamed militants of the Yemen-based Al Qaeda offshoot for a series of assassinations and armed attacks, mostly in the country's southern parts.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, also known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, is considered one of the greatest threats to the Yemeni government and neighbouring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.