Suspected al-Qaida militants killed 10 soldiers when they ambushed them on a road in southern Yemen, where the jihadist network has a stronghold, a military official said on Thursday.

The gunmen opened fire on the vehicle in which the soldiers were traveling on Wednesday north of the city of Loder and killed them all, in Abyan province, the official said.

Only the driver survived, although he was wounded, a medical official said.

A witness said he saw three armed men shoot at the soldiers, adding they prevented people from carrying away the soldiers' bodies, only allowing them to take the driver to hospital in Loder.

An official at the hospital confirmed the wounded driver was admitted to the facility, which also later received the bodies of 10 soldiers after the attackers left the scene of the shooting.

Also on Thursday, Yemeni official SPA news agency said two soldiers died in "a militia attack by opposition parties" and five other soldiers and three civilians were wounded during fighting between the guards and tribesmen in Taez, which is a center of more than five months of protests seeking the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

A tank shell fired from a position of the Republican Guard, an elite unit commanded by Saleh's oldest son Ahmed, struck a bus traveling in the city's central district, killing a civilian and two soldiers, a local official said.

Supporters of al-Qaida have strengthened their grip on southern Yemen since a wave of popular protests erupted in late January against the rule of Saleh.

Militants of the Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law) movement seized control of most of the southern city of Zinjibar, near Loder, on May 29, and Yemeni security forces have been engaged in heavy fighting with them since.

Questions:

1. How many soldiers were killed?

2. In what province did the attack occur?

3. What is the name of Yemeni’s official news agency?

Answers:

1. 10

2. Abyan

3. SPA

（中國日報網英語點津 Julie 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.