\\\'Qaeda\\\' militants kill 4 Yemen soldiers

Suspected Al-Qaeda militants in police uniforms killed four soldiers Tuesday in an attack on a special forces' checkpoint in southeastern Yemen, a security official said. The attack is the latest in a series of deadly operations against security forces blamed on Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), perceived by Washington as the jihadist network's most dangerous affiliate. The gunmen "suspected of belonging to Al-Qaeda" opened fire on the checkpoint at the western entrance to the port city of Mukalla, the provincial capital of Hadramawt, the official said. Two other soldiers were wounded, the official said, requesting anonymity. The assailants also stormed a nearby police station where they stripped officers of their weapons but spared their lives, he said, according to AFP.