An attack by al-Qaeda in southern Yemen killed at least two troops loyal STC, officials said yesterday, in the first attack since the extremist group’s branch in the Arab country announced the death of its leader earlier this month.

The attack, which took place late on Sunday in the mountainous Wadi Omran area of Abyan province, also wounded four troops from the Southern Armed Forces, which is loyal to Southern Transitional Council, according to a statement from the southern forces.

The statement said the militants ambushed a security patrol in the area, triggering hours long gun battles. The militants burnt a military vehicle, according to military Khalid Alwai.

The ambush came as the southern forces have intensified their attacks in recent weeks on an al-Qaeda stronghold in Wadi Omran, the statement said. The al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula group (AQAP), claimed responsibility for the attack. The claim was posted on al-Qaeda linked channels on Telegram with images of the burnt vehicle.

AQAP is seen as one of the more dangerous branches of the extremist group that is still operating more than a decade after the killing of founder Osama bin Laden. It is active in several regions in Yemen, exploiting the country’s years long conflict to cement its presence in the impoverished nation.

Yemen’s ruinous civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, and forced the internationally recognised government into exile.