Suicide bombers kill six soldiers in Yemen's Mukalla

Suicide bombers on Monday attacked two army checkpoints in a former stronghold of al-Qaeda in southeastern Yemen, killing at least six soldiers and wounding 18.

One bomber drove his vehicle into a checkpoint in the west of Mukalla while the second struck in the centre of the city, the Yemeni military said in a statement.

It blamed the attacks on "terrorists" and said security forced had engaged the vehicles before they rammed into the checkpoints.

The capital of Hadramawt province, Mukalla had been under the control of al-Qaeda for one year until pro-government troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition recaptured the city in April.

Yemen has been gripped by a devastating conflict that escalated in March 2015 when Saudi-led air raids began against the Houthi rebels after the insurgents seized northern and central parts of the country including the capital, Sanaa.

The violence has allowed extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group [IS] to extend their influence and launch scores of attacks on security forces.

Last month, IS claimed a wave of suicide bombings targeting Yemeni troops in Mukalla that killed at least 42 people.

On Friday, Yemen's warring parties began their last two weeks of negotiations with the UN's Yemen envoy warning it's the country's last chance for peace after two months of stagnant talks.

Ismail Ould Cheikh urged Houthi and government officials to make "decisions that will prove your true intentions," noting the talks would only last for a further two weeks and may be Yemen's "last chance to resolve the conflict."