A senior army commander escaped a roadside bomb attack in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout on Wednesday, a government official told Xinhua.

"A roadside bomb went off near the convoy of Maj. Gen. Mohamed al-Somaly, commander of the 1st military region in Hadramout province, but he survived the apparent assassination," the local government official said on condition of anonymity.

The blast damaged one of the vehicles and wounded two of al- Somaly's bodyguards, while the army general and two government officials in the convoy escaped unharmed, the source said.

A security official in Hadramout confirmed the incident to Xinhua, saying after the blast, masked men "sprayed automatic gunfire" on the car carrying al-Somaly.

The Yemeni armed forces on Tuesday launched an all-out offensive against several al-Qaida hideouts in the country's southern regions of Abyan and Shabwa, a military official told Xinhua.

Suspected al-Qaida gunmen decapitated six government soldiers captured during Tuesday's fighting in Shabwa, a pro-government tribal chief told Xinhua, also on condition of anonymity.

The Yemeni-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has staged frequent revenge attacks on local targets, including military ones, and foreign missions in the impoverished Arab country.

The AQAP, which emerged in January 2009, is considered the most serious strategic threat to the Yemeni government and neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia. Endi

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