ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Two soldiers of Yemen's government forces were killed Saturday when a roadside bomb ripped through their vehicle in the southern province of Abyan, a local officer told Xinhua.

The officer, who requested to remain anonymous, said that the bomb was planted on the side of a road near the main entrance of the Mudiyah district of the province, injuring six other soldiers.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing, but it bore the hallmarks of the al-Qaeda militants who are active in that area.

Abyan and other neighboring southern Yemeni provinces have seen an increase in violence between Yemeni government forces and al-Qaeda militants in recent months.

The military escalation highlights the persistent security threats posed by al-Qaeda's Yemeni faction, referred to as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

With peace talks stalled, the conflict between Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government backed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition shows no signs of abating.

The civil war and power vacuum in Yemen have allowed AQAP and other extremist groups to flourish, posing a severe security threat within Yemen's borders and beyond. Enditem

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