Updated

Yemeni security officials say an explosion has hit a checkpoint in a historic city in the country's sprawling Hadramawt province, inflicting casualties.

The officials say Friday's blast in the fortress city of Shibam killed and wounded a total of 10 people. The officials did not immediately have a breakdown of the casualties. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to reporters.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the officials blamed al-Qaida, which has captured much of Hadramawt, Yemen's largest province, and the provincial capital of Mukalla.

Yemen's al-Qaida branch has benefited from the war that has convulsed the country, pitting the Shiite rebels known as Houthis and their allies against the internationally-backed government forces.