Six soldiers killed in Yemen suicide bombing

Six soldiers were killed on Sunday in a suicide bombing in a part of southern Yemen where militant groups are active, a security official said.

A further 18 soldiers were wounded when the bomber drove an explosives-laden car into an army position in Abyan province, said the official.

Militant groups including al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the ISIS group have carried out numerous attacks in the region.

Yemen's army is simultaneously fighting Houthi rebels who control the northern capital Sanaa and militant groups in the south.

A Saudi-led Arab military coalition that backs the Yemeni government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi has also turned its sights on AQAP, targeting it with air strikes.

The United States has carried out numerous drone strikes against AQAP operatives in Yemen.

AQAP and ISIS have escalated their attacks in recent months, notably in the southern port city of Aden.

That is despite efforts by government forces to stabilize urban areas they have controlled since ousting Houthi forces from Aden last year.

A suicide car bombing targeting young army recruits in Aden killed some 71 people on August 29. It was claimed by ISIS.

The Saudi-led coalition launched its military campaign in March 2015 as Houthi rebels closed in on Hadi in his refuge in Aden, forcing him into exile.

Backed by the air power and ground support of the coalition, government forces pushed the rebels out of five southern provinces last summer.

The conflict in Yemen has left 6,600 people dead since the Saudi-led intervention, according to the United Nations.