SAN'A, Yemen - A security official says gunmen have attacked a Yemeni army patrol, killing eight soldiers and wounding one more in the country's south.
The official says the ambush took place Saturday in the town of Jaar in Abyan province.
He says the assailants fled after the attack, which the official blamed on al-Qaida militants.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Yemen's weak central government has struggled with a growing al-Qaida threat. The militants are increasing their operations in the impoverished and largely lawless country on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
U.S officials worry al-Qaida's Yemeni offshoot could be plotting attacks against American and other Western targets.
