Suspected militants kill at least 15 soldiers in Yemen

ADEN (Reuters) - At least 15 soldiers were killed and four wounded by suspected al Qaeda militants in an attack on an army checkpoint in southeastern Yemen on Friday, an army official said.

The soldiers were ambushed as they were having lunch in a desert area near the city of Shibam, in the eastern province of Hadramout, residents said. The army official said the gunmen were likely to be al Qaeda militants.