An overnight raid by Al-Qaeda affiliated militants killed two soldiers of Yemeni pro-government troops in the southern Abyan province, a security official told Xinhua on Monday.

Six other individuals were injured in the ambush attack on the patrol in the mountainous Wadi Omran area, the local official said on condition of anonymity.

The attack comes amid forces loyal to the Yemeni government launched operations codenamed "Arrows of the East" in recent weeks to hunt down remnants of the Yemen-based al-Qaeda branch after destroying their strongholds in the province.

Despite these offensives, al-Qaeda's Yemeni branch, regarded as one of the most formidable offshoots of the terrorist organization, continues to exploit the prevailing chaos of Yemen's civil conflict to entrench its presence, said the official.

The militants frequently deploy improvised explosive devices and landmines across the region to target government and allied forces.

Yemen has been embroiled in a protracted civil war for nearly a decade, pitting the internationally recognized government against the Houthi militants who currently control substantial swaths of the country, including the capital Sanaa. 

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