15 soldiers were killed and four others wounded in an unexpected attack against Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen southeastern checkpoint on Friday , a military official said .
The soldiers were attacked when they were having lunch in the desert near the city of Shibam in the Hadramout province , residents said .
According to military officials , the attacker is expected al Qaeda militants .
Hadramaut , an oil-producing region in eastern Yemen , has seen sporadic clashes between government forces and major ethnic groups , after a senior member of the tribe were killed in a shootout at a military checkpoint in December .
Yemen ancestral homeland of the late leader of Al Qaeda , Osama bin Laden , and is still facing separatist violence in the north and south .
North Yemen and South Yemen formally united to form the Republic of Yemen in 1990, but many in the south , home to most of Yemen's oil , say , the north uses unification to seize natural resources and discriminate against them .
Western countries , especially the United States , increasingly concerned over the threat of extremism in Yemen , including the activities of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP ) .
The U.S. wants the new president of Yemen , ruling after protests against the country's military predecessor making split into warring groups , uniting the armed forces and use them to fight against the militant group .
Militants launched a wave of attacks since the former President of Yemen , Ali Abdullah Saleh , in February 2012 handed over power to his deputy , Abd - Rabbu Mansour Hadi , who has promised to crack down on Al Qaeda .
Al Qaeda militants strengthen their presence in southeastern Yemen , taking advantage of the weakening of the central government due to the anti - government uprising that erupted in January 2011 that eventually depose Saleh .
Ofensi Yemeni forces launched in May 2012 repulsed the militants of Al Qaeda from a number of towns and villages in southern and eastern region for more than a year to master.
Although weakened , the terror network could still launch attacks against military and police targets
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