2 soldiers killed in roadside bomb attack in southern Yemen

roadside bomb attack in Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, May 5 (Xinhua) -- A roadside bomb exploded next to a military ambulance in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Friday, killing two soldiers and wounding three others, a security official told Xinhua.

The local official asked to remain anonymous said the ambulance was blasted by the homemade bomb when it was transporting soldiers of Yemeni government forces who were wounded in sporadic fighting with al-Qaida militants.

The explosive device was pre-planted on the side of the road in the Mudiyah district where the ambulance would be passing, said the official.

This is the latest of a series of roadside bomb attacks in Abyan over the past few weeks. Yemeni officials blamed the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) being behind the attacks.

AQAP is seen as one of the most dangerous branches of al-Qaida and has been active in Yemen for years. The group has taken advantage of Yemen's civil war and the resulting power vacuum to launch attacks on military and government targets.