Suspected al-Qaida militants targeted a checkpoint in Yemen's southern Abyan province, killing at least six Yemeni troops, officials said Tuesday.
The officials said the attack, which took place late on Monday in the district of Lawdar, also wounded four troops, two of whom were in critical condition. The militants used automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades in their assault, the officials said.
The checkpoint is run by a Yemeni force trained by the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen's civil war since 2015.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility from al-Qaida but the officials said the attack bore all the hallmarks of the Sunni militant group. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.