A predawn suicide car bomb attack killed Saturday five Yemeni army soldiers and injured 10 others in the troubled southern province of Abyan, a security official told Xinhua.
"A suicide bomber detonated an explosive-packed vehicle near an army outpost in the Abyan's district of Mahfad around 2:30 in the morning, as a result, five army personnel were killed and 10 others injured," the local security official said on condition of anonymity.
He added suspected members of the Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot were behind the large explosion in Mahfad town of Abyan.
Heavy shooting and armed confrontations occurred after the suicide blast, according to local residents.
In the southern port city of Aden, a Somali gunman was killed while trying to infiltrate into Aden International Airport by sea late Friday, a police officer told Xinhua anonymously.
Several towns and provinces in southern and southeastern parts of Yemen have seen growing al-Qaida-led insurgence for three years.
The Yemeni military and security forces have recently intensified operations against suspected al-Qaida strongholds throughout the country, killing many non-Yemeni al-Qaida suspects.
Territories in Azzan and Mahfad, two of al-Qaida's main bastions, have been recaptured by army troops late in May.