Suspected al-Qaeda gunmen kill 5 Yemeni soldiers

• Soldiers were guarding oil and gas projects in Shabwa province
• Ambush follows series of U.S. drone strikes targeting al-Qaeda
• Government said last week it had foiled an al-Qaeda plot to attack oil port

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Suspected al-Qaeda gunmen killed five soldiers early Sunday at a checkpoint in a southern province, a Yemeni official said, amid a stepped-up campaign of suspected U.S. drone strikes in the country.

The official said the attackers surprised the soldiers at their post guarding oil and gas projects in the Radhum area of Shabwa province.

The ambush follows a two-week-long spike in suspected U.S. drone strikes targeting al-Qaeda. Yemeni officials say nine attacks have killed 38 alleged militants.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity according to regulations.

Pipelines carrying oil and gas to coastal terminals in Yemen's mostly lawless south have been repeatedly attacked by al-Qaeda militants and tribes with whom they have ties. Yemeni officials also suspect tribesmen allied with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The Radhum checkpoint is close to the Balhaf liquefied gas export terminal which was a target for a failed car bomb attack in June 2. The car exploded before it reached its target, killing only the attacker.

A Yemeni government spokesman said last week that the country had foiled a plot to target other oil ports on the coast.

The U.S. considers the local al-Qaeda branch, also known as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to be the world's most active. Washington last week flew diplomatic staff out of Yemen's capital over fears of a terrorist attack.