Gunmen killed three soldiers and abducted four others in Yemen's southern region this weekend, according to the Associated Press.
Security sources told AP that the soldiers were killed while manning their checkpoint in the Hadramawt province in Yemen's southeast.
It is assumed that the attack was carried out by Al Qaeda militants which already have a strong presence in Yemen. The United States considers the Yemen branch of the extremist group as the most dangerous in the world and has regularly targeted Al Qaeda figures vis-a-vis drone strikes.
In related news from Hadramawt, the killing of a tribal leader at another checkpoint in the province Friday has sparked protests and riots throughout the province after security officials who killed the leader said they mistakenly believed that he was an Al Qaeda militant.
