At least eight killed in suspected Al-Qaeda attack in Yemen's Shabwa

At least eight people were killed Wednesday in an attack on Yemeni security forces suspected to have been carried out by Al-Qaeda in the oil-rich southern province of Shabwa.

Militants attacked a security post in Ataq, the provincial capital and eastern entrance to Shabwa, which sparked clashes that left five Yemeni Transitional Council soldiers and three militants dead, officials told local media.

No party has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The UAE-backed Yemeni Transitional Council wants independence for the south of the country and has fought Houthi rebels and Al-Qaeda, as well as Yemeni government forces.

Al-Qaeda militants, who operate in the area and conducted an attack a few weeks ago, are suspected of being behind the killings.

In early June, three soldiers were killed and five others were wounded in an explosion targeting a security patrol in Ataq.

In response, the Security Committee in Shabwa said they had bolstered their forces and preparedness for potential future attacks.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP] has long been considered the global network’s most dangerous branch, and has attempted to carry out attacks on the US mainland.

AQAP is active in several regions of Yemen and has taken advantage of the years-long civil war to make inroads.

The Yemen conflict, which erupted in 2014, has killed hundreds of thousands of people - directly or indirectly - and left millions on the brink of famine, according to the UN.

The war pits Iran-backed Houthi rebels against the internationally recognised government, which is aided by a Saudi-led coalition.