Suspected al-Qaida bomber kills 5 soldiers in Yemen’s south

SANAA, Yemen – Yemeni security officials say a suicide bomber likely from al-Qaida has attacked a government building in the southern Lahj province, killing five soldiers and wounding ten, including civilians.

They say the Monday attack in the provincial capital, al-Houta, could have been worse, but that guards managed to shoot the attacker before he drove his explosives-laden vehicle inside the building.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to brief journalists.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, considered by Washington to be the group’s most dangerous branch, has expanded its territory in the chaos of Yemen’s civil war, and has strongholds in the area around al-Houta.

Shiite Houthi rebels control much of the country, including the capital, and are fighting a Saudi-led coalition backing the exiled government.