SANAA, Yemen, June 4 (UPI) -- An attack by a suicide bomber killed four tribal fighters at a military outpost near Shaqra in Yemen's Abyan province, officials said.
The attacker targeted fighters positioned near the coastal town as Yemeni troops closed in on the al-Qaida bastion.
In neighboring Zinjibar, where ground troops have been trying to break through al-Qaida defenses, Yemeni warplanes pounded the militants' positions, the Yemen Telegram reported Monday.
Al-Qaida has been making attacks in hopes of luring the armed forces into a guerrilla war, observers said.
The interior ministry reinforced its security apparatus in Sanaa after receiving an alert that al-Qaida was trying to smuggle men and weapons in advance of attacks against state and foreign interests, Mareb Press reported Monday.