Suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen have killed an army officer and wounded two soldiers in an ambush in southern Yemen.

Suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen have killed an army officer and wounded two soldiers in an ambush in southern Yemen, a military official told media sources Sunday.

The ambush, which took place on Saturday, targeted an army convoy east of the city of Huta, in the province of Lahij, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The convoy was on its way to reinforce a checkpoint in the suburb of Hamra after it came under attack by Al-Qaeda-linked gunmen, who are active in the region, the official added.

A medical official at Aden's Basohayeb military hospital said the officer, Major Kamal al-Ashwal, died of a bullet wound to his stomach.

The extremists have exploited a central government weakened by a year of anti-regime protests to strengthen their presence in Yemen, launching deadly attacks against security forces, especially across the south and southeast.

The United States says the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, is the most active branch of the global terror network.

Early on Saturday, tens of thousands protested across the country demanding that former President be put on trial.

Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down last month in a deal that protected him from prosecution, but he is still in Yemen. The government has said at least 2,000 people have been killed in a year of turmoil. Protesters want the immunity deal cancelled so that Saleh and his relatives can be put on trial for the killings.

Saleh was expected to leave Yemen, but critics say he is still interfering in the government.