The Huthis’ attempt to extend their control has been met by deadly resistance.

Four Yemeni soldiers guarding oil installations were killed Wednesday during a gunfight with tribesmen in the southeastern province of Hadramawt, a military official said.

The clash erupted in the Wadi Dawan area, near an oil field, the official said.

Witnesses said armed tribesmen attacked a military convoy carrying supplies to their post, triggering the gun battle. They said some of the assailants were killed, without specifying how many.

The attack comes amid rising security fears in Yemen since the Shiite Huthi militia tightened its grip on power in the capital Sanaa this month, prompting an exodus of foreign diplomats.

Elsewhere, a military intelligence officer was gunned down in the southern city of Aden, where various armed groups opposing the Huthis are increasingly in control.

Gunmen opened fire at Colonel Mohammed al-Zahrawi in Mansura district, a military source said, adding that he died instantly, while the gunmen escaped.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which the United States considers the militant network’s most dangerous branch, remains active in the south of Yemen.

The Huthis’ attempt to extend their control has been met by deadly resistance from AQAP. Sunni tribes have also fought the Shiite militia since it overran Sanaa in September.

AQAP frequently attacks both Yemeni security forces and Western targets.

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