An explosive device detonated Sunday, killing four soldiers and wounding three others in the Al-Musaina area of Shabwa in South Yemen, local sources said. The casualties belong to separatist forces led by the Southern Transitional Council (STC).
A security source in Shabwa told local media that "Al-Qaeda operatives" planted a highly explosive device on a side road in Al-Musaina area to the south of Ataq City, the center of Shabwa province.
The source said the device was remotely exploded when an ambulance from the First Brigade of Shabwa Defense passed. The blast killed and injured the soldiers on board while the car was destroyed. The three wounded were taken to hospitals in Ataq city.
Al-Qaeda finds room to operate in some southern provinces, and its presence in Al-Musaina is considerable, a report by Sheba Intelligence has revealed. The report pointed out Al-Qaeda members have begun using drones in their attacks on their foes, and it documented 8 Al-Qaeda drone attacks in Al-Musaina area of Shabwa.
According to the report, Al-Qaeda's use of drones threatens international navigation in the Red Sea and near the Bab al-Mandab Strait or Western and regional interests on land or at sea.
Last year, the southern separatists, funded and armed by the United Arab Emirates, took over Shabwa after days of deadly clashes with Yemen's UN-recognized government forces. Though the battle ended, the province has remained unstable.