Yemen Checkpoint Attack Kills 20 Soldiers

Twenty Yemeni soldiers are dead after an attack on a military checkpoint in the eastern part of the country.

The state-run Saba news agency said the attack happened Monday in Hadramout province.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

However, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has carried out regular attacks on government officials and security forces.

Last month, suspected AQAP militants bombed a military bus in Yemen's capital, killing at least two soldiers. In December, AQAP said it was behind a suicide bombing at a hospital next to Yemen's defense ministry that killed 52 people.

The al-Qaida branch is considered one of the world's most active.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.