An explosion caused by a roadside bomb hit a security vehicle in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Tuesday, killing at least three soldiers and wounding four others, a government official told Xinhua.

A roadside bomb blast struck a security vehicle in the entrance of Mahfed town of Abyan province, causing a huge explosion in the area, said the local government official, who asked to remain anonymous.

He said the explosion killed at least three members of the newly-recruited security forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition and injured four others at the scene.

The injured security members were immediately evacuated by an ambulance to a nearby hospital for medical care, he added.

Security reinforcements backed by armored vehicles were sent to the area from Abyan's capital of Zinjibar city, according to local residents.

It is unclear which faction of the militant groups, such as al-Qaida or the Islamic State, was responsible for the attack. However, security sources blamed the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch that more frequently uses roadside bombs.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which mostly operates in eastern and southern provinces, has been responsible for many high-profile attacks against security forces in the country.

The provinces of Abyan and Shabwa, former main strongholds of AQAP, have also been the scene of sporadic attacks or heavy clashes between Yemeni security forces and al-Qaida militants from time to time.

The AQAP, seen by the United States as the global terror network's most dangerous branch, has exploited years of deadly conflicts between Yemen's government and Houthi rebels to expand its presence, especially in the southern and southeastern provinces.