Abyan (Debriefer) - Five soldiers of the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC)-affiliated Security Belt (SB) forces were killed on Monday in an attack thought to be carried out by al-Qaeda militants in the Yemeni southern governorate of Abyan.
"Qaeda gunmen launched an attack on Security Belt checkpoint personnel at the entrance of Lauder city in Abyan," an SB officer said.
The attack left five soldiers killed, two others injured and a military vehicle burnt, he added.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) exploited the weak authority in Yemen to expand in several areas of a country racked by a 6-year war that broke out after the Houthis ousted the UN-recognized government late in 2014.
