SANAA // Three Yemeni soldiers were killed on Wednesday when suspected Al Qaeda gunmen opened fire on a military zone in the country's Hadramawt province, a military source said.
The shooting happened in Al Qoton district and the gunmen were able to escape. "We suspect the gunmen belong to Al Qaeda," the source added, requesting anonymity.
Al Qaeda has flourished in Yemen - the poorest country in the Arab world - as the country's civil conflict shows no sign of waning.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) extremists remain active in the vast region of Hadramawt, where a number of the group's leaders are based.
Since Donald Trump became president, the United States has intensified its controversial air attacks on AQAP, which it considers the most dangerous branch of the global jihadist network.
Yemen's internationally-recognised govenrment has long battled Houthi rebels, who are allied with Iran, for control of the country..
According to the United Nations World Health Organisation, more than 8,000 people have been killed and 40,000 wounded since an Arab coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and including the UAE, joined the Yemen war in 2015.
* Agence France-Presse
