At least 10 people were killed on Tuesday in an attack by Al-Qaeda terrorists on members of government forces in Yemen's Shabwa province, the media reported, citing officials.
"A group of gunmen of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch launched an attack on Al-Safra point of the Fifth Brigade of Shabwa's local defence troops," an official told Xinhua news agency on the condition of anonymity.
"The militants launched an attack on the checkpoint, using heavy weapons and grenades, surrounding the soldiers and cutting off their escape routes," he said.
"However, reinforcements from other government troops in Shabwa arrived quickly on the scene and provided timely intervention support to the beleaguered troops," he added.
The reinforcements engaged the attackers in a fierce fire-fight, eliminating at least six terrorists and bringing the situation under control.