Assailants killed five Yemeni soldiers Monday in an ambush in the southern province of Shabwa, an official said, the latest in a spate of attacks against the security forces.

Assailants killed five Yemeni soldiers Monday in an ambush in the southern province of Shabwa, an official said, the latest in a spate of attacks against the security forces.

The unidentified attackers fired a rocket-propelled grenade at an army vehicle transporting the troops near the town of Mayfaa, the official said, adding that "all five soldiers on board were killed".

Yemen has seen frequent attacks on its security forces usually blamed on Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, which remains active in the south and east despite successive government military campaigns.