Ten soldiers were injured, including four seriously, in two blasts that took place near a security headquarters and a presidential palace in Al-Mukalla, in the southern Yemeni province of Hadhramaut

Ten soldiers were injured, including four seriously, in two blasts that took place near a security headquarters and a presidential palace in Al-Mukalla, in the southern Yemeni province of Hadhramaut, a security source said.

The source, who asked not to be named, told media outlets that one of the two blasts was caused by a booby-trapped car, while the other was caused by a rocket-propelled grenade.

The source said the blasts were followed by clashes between Yemeni security men and suspected Al-Qaeda militants.

He described the magnitude of the blasts as "large," saying that militants have taken positions along the coastal road in Al-Mukalla.

The two explosions coincided with a raid carried out by unknown militants on a branch of the private Yemen International Bank in the same city, according to the source.

He did not say, however, whether the militants succeeded in seizing money from the bank.

Yemen has been dogged by turmoil since pro-democracy protests forced autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in 2012 after 33 years in power.

Moreover, a committee appointed by Yemen's presidency on Thursday failed to restore an earlier ceasefire in the northern Al-Jawf province, according to one committee member who blamed the latter for the deadlock.

Clashes first erupted in Al-Jawf between Houthis and local tribesmen in April, resulting in casualties on both sides.

A few weeks ago, the mediation committee succeeded in forging a temporary ceasefire, but this proved short-lived.

Al-Jawf is strategically important in that it is located near Yemen's eastern Maarib province, the center of the country's oil production.