Ten Yemeni soldiers were killed in a suspected al-Qaeda ambush on a road in the country’s south.

Ten Yemeni soldiers were killed in a suspected al-Qaeda ambush on a road in the country’s south.

A military official said on Thursday the gunmen opened fire on the vehicle in which the soldiers were travelling on Wednesday, north of the city of Loder, in Abyan province, killing them all.
Only the driver survived, although he was wounded, a medical official said.

A witness said he saw three armed men shoot at the soldiers, adding they prevented people from carrying away the soldiers' bodies, only allowing them to take the driver to hospital in Loder.

An official at the hospital confirmed the wounded driver was admitted to the facility, which also later received the bodies of the 10 soldiers after the attackers left the scene of the shooting.

Security in Yemen has been deteriorating since the embattled President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, was braced for anti-government protests few months ago.

 Saleh left the country to Saudi Arabia, for medical treatment, following an attack targeting a mosque in his presidential palace.
Al-Qaeda fighters took control of some southern provinces since the protests started.