Two Yemeni soldiers were killed in an attack by the extremist al-Qaeda organization on Sunday, targeting a military site in Shabwa, south of the center of the country mired in war, two security officials told AFP.

A government security official in Shabwa said, "Two soldiers were killed in an al-Qaeda attack on a military point" in the province, adding, "The attack took place at dawn on Sunday, and resulted in the injury of a number of soldiers (...) and the attackers."

In turn, another Yemeni official confirmed the attack and the killing of the two soldiers.

Yemen, the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula, has witnessed a bloody conflict since 2014 between pro-government forces and Houthi rebels.

The conflict escalated with the intervention of Saudi Arabia at the head of a military coalition in March 2015 to halt the advance of the Iran-backed Houthis after they took control of the capital, Sana'a.

Since then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of Yemenis and caused a humanitarian crisis that the United Nations described as the worst in the world, with the displacement of millions of people.

Al-Qaeda took advantage of the chaos in Yemen to expand there, targeting government forces and the Houthis with its operations. The United States considers Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula one of the most dangerous branches of the global jihadist network.

However, the organization's attacks have declined in recent years, after operations launched by government forces and the Saudi-led coalition against it.