Al-Qaeda militants attacked a Yemeni army convoy on Tuesday, killing five people, as Saudi Arabia renewed a travel warning to the country.

Al-Qaeda militants attacked a Yemeni army convoy on Tuesday, killing five people, as Saudi Arabia renewed a travel warning to the country.

Three Yemeni soldiers and two fighters of Al-Qaeda were killed during the assault on the military convoy in the village of Mazraat Mashhour, southwest of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan, a military official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The militants "failed to seize the contents of the convoy" which was headed to Zinjibar from the southern port city of Aden, the official said, adding that fierce clashes continued as troops fought to capture the provincial capital which has been under the control of militants since May 2011.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Riyadh renewed a warning to its citizens not to visit Yemen, still reeling from a year of political unrest in the country.

"Given the instability and the security situation" in Yemen, "the (foreign) ministry is renewing its warning to all citizens not to travel" there "until the situation is stabilized," an official said in a statement carried by SPA.
Three Saudis, including two diplomats, have been kidnapped in Yemen.