Unidentified assailants attacked on Tuesday afternoon a military convoy of the Yemeni army forces, killing at least two soldiers and injuring two others in the restive southern province of Lahij, a security official told Xinhua.

Four unknown gunmen on motorbikes fired at the military convoy of the 201st Armored Army Brigade in the Saber district, some 2 km south of Houta city, the capital of Lahij province, the security official said on condition of anonymity.

"The military convoy was coming from Aden to support and reinforce some army barracks positioned around the neighboring province of Lahij and it was attacked near the post office of Saber area," the official said.

"This is not the first time, militants linked to the al-Qaida terrorist group have carried out numerous attacks on military and police officials in Lahij province in the past months in an attempt to seize control over the city like what happened in Abyan, " he said.

The attackers managed to escape after the shooting, he added.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the incident, but the attack bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), according to the security official.

Taking advantage of Yemen's unrest to bolster their presence in the country's southern and eastern regions, the AQAP militants have been launching sporadic shoot-outs and motorbike attacks on security and intelligence officials during the past several months.