Both attacks took place on Friday near the town of Lawder in Abyan province, 250 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of the Yemeni capital Sana´a.[break]
In the deadliest attack, the province´s deputy governor, Salih al-Shamsi, said that a group of militants attacked a convoy of water tankers escorted by Yemeni soldiers, killed 13 soldiers, and fled the scene.
The militants used heavy machine guns and RPGs in the attack, according to The Yemen Post. No militants were reported to have been killed in the firefight.
In the second attack, an ambush on a military convoy escorting Muhsen Juzailan, the commander of Brigade 111, left four Yemeni troops dead and three more injured, including the commander.
Officials say the militants are being pursued.
No person or group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Lawder was the scene of heavy clashes between the Yemeni military and al-Qaeda militants in August 2010 after a series of militant attacks on security forces in the town and its surrounding area.
The Yemeni Interior Ministry later claimed that the district of Lawder had been cleared of al-Qaeda militants, but attacks in the district have persisted.
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