Updated

A Yemeni security official says gunmen have killed two soldiers and wounded three in an ambush in a province where the military is battling al-Qaida.

The official says the soldiers were attacked Saturday while traveling in a military vehicle in Marib province, east of the capital Sanaa. The official spoke on condition of anonymity according to regulations.

The army has gone after militants in Marib who are believed to be behind attacks on power lines that feed electricity to Sanaa.

Local al-Qaida militants have also been carrying out attacks against security personnel.

The United States considers the local al-Qaida branch, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, to be one of the network's most dangerous offshoots. The U.S. has carried out drone strikes against suspected militants, including in Marib.