Gunmen kill 5 soldiers at Yemen checkpoint GUNMEN have killed five soldiers at a checkpoint in a southern province, a Yemeni official says, amid a stepped-up campaign of suspected US drone strikes in the country. The official said the attackers surprised the soldiers at their post guarding oil and gas projects in the Radhum area of Shabwa province. The ambush follows a two-week-long spike in suspected US drone strikes targeting fighters. Yemeni officials say nine attacks have killed 38 alleged militants. The official spoke on condition of anonymity according to regulations. Pipelines carrying oil and gas to coastal terminals in Yemen's mostly lawless south have been repeatedly attacked by Islamic militants and tribes. Yemeni officials also suspect tribesmen allied with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Radhum checkpoint is close to the Balhaf liquefied gas export terminal which was a target for a failed car bomb attack on June 2. The car exploded before it reached its target, killing only the attacker. A Yemeni government spokesman said last week that the country had foiled a plot to target other oil ports on the coast.