A suicide bomber suspected to be affiliated with Yemen-based al-Qaeda branch killed at least 14 soldiers in the country's turbulent southern province of Abyan on Friday morning, a security official told Xinhua.

The local security official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the suicide terror attack, which targeted the third brigade forces aligned with the Southern Transitional Council (STC), occurred at approximately 7:00 am local time (0500 GMT) in the Mudiyah district of the Abyan province.