ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Ten pro-government soldiers and six terrorists were killed on Tuesday in an exchange of fire in southwestern Yemen's Abyan province, a military source told Xinhua.

Intense clashes broke out in the coastal district of Ahwar after several well-armed al-Qaida gunmen attacked a security checkpoint held by the newly hired Security Belt forces, the local military source said on condition of anonymity.

In addition to the death toll, a number of Security Belt soldiers were also injured, the source said.

Hours after the attack, the local security troops carried out a clearance operation to eliminate terrorists in the area, according to the source.

The number of terrorist attacks on the southern security forces in Yemen began to rise after the newly-formed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) started to deploy forces in the oil-rich province of Shabwa and other neighboring areas.

The PLC is now dealing with a wide range of tough political and security challenges caused by terrorism, Houthi rebels and the recent rebellion by the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Islah party.

Last month, the newly-recruited southern forces in Yemen launched a major anti-terror operation code-named "ARROWS OF THE EAST" in the turbulent province of Abyan.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) network is responsible for many high-profile attacks on the security forces in the country's southern provinces. Enditem

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