A suicide bomber has killed at least eight soldiers in an attack on a military camp in Yemen's southern city of Zinjibar at dawn, according to local official and residents.

The bomber, wearing a military uniform, on Friday struck Najda Camp in the Abyan provincial capital along the coast from second city Aden where the government has its headquarters.

He failed to get through the gate and heavy exchanges of gunfire ensued as other attackers tried to penetrate the base.

Residents said they heard a loud explosion at dawn in Zinjibar. The bomber was suspected to be an al-Qaeda member, the local official said.

Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since March 2015 between the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which is backed by an Arab coalition assembled by Saudi Arabia and Iran-allied Houthi rebels.

US inquiry urged

Separately, Human Rights Watch, the US-based international organisation, urged the US government on Friday to open an investigation into the deaths of civilians, including children, in a US assault in Yemen.

The January 29 raid in Yakla, in central Yemen, also left one US Navy Seal dead and six American soldiers wounded.

A military aircraft suffered a hard landing and had to be destroyed in the assault, which occurred just days after US President Donald Trump's inauguration.

READ MORE: UN: $4.4bn needed to prevent 'catastrophe' of famine

Human Rights Watch said that at least nine children were among the slain civilians. A hospital director also said that the wounded had no access to medical care for hours.

Nadim Houry, HRW terrorism director, said the US needs to "go a step further and provide a full accounting of possible laws-of-war violations".

At least 10,000 people have died in the mostly stalemated conflict, which has prompted a humanitarian and hunger crisis in the already poor Arabian Peninsula country.</s>A suicide bomber killed at least eight soldiers in an attack on a military camp in Yemen's southern city of Zinjibar at dawn on Friday, a local official and residents said.

The bomber, wearing a military uniform, drove a car that exploded at the entrance of the camp. Ten others were wounded.

Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since March 2015 between the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, and Iran-allied Houthis.

Residents said they heard a loud explosion at dawn in the city, the capital of Abyan province.

The bomber is suspected to be an al Qaeda member, the local official said.

Similar attacks have taken place in the past few months with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) a suspect in targeting military posts.</s>Yemeni security officials say a suicide bomber killed at least eight soldiers Friday at a security base in the southern city of Zinjibar.

The bomber, disguised as a driver delivering a load of wood, blew up his vehicle at the gate of the Yemeni military base after failing to get inside.

Heavy gunfire ensued as other assailants tried to enter the base, injuring 10 others.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but a military source said al-Qaida has carried out similar attacks in the area.

Southern Yemen has been the target of a series of suicide bombings by extremist groups as the Yemeni government has failed to restore security after pushing Houthi Shi'ite militias and allied forces out of the south in 2015.</s>SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni security officials say a suicide car bomber has struck a security camp in a southern Yemeni city, killing eight soldiers.

The officials say the bomber, who was disguised as a driver carrying a load of fire wood for cooking, failed to get inside the camp after soldiers stopped him. So he blew himself up at the gates instead.

The explosion took place on Friday in the city of Jaar, a militant hotbed.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief reporters. No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Southern Yemen has seen a spate of suicide bombings by extremist groups as the weak, internationally recognized government has failed to restore security after forcing Houthi Shiite militias and allied forces out of the south in 2015.</s>Bomber wearing a military uniform was driving a car that exploded at the entrance of a military camp.

A suicide bomber killed at least eight soldiers in an attack on a military camp in Yemen's southern city of Zinjibar at dawn on Friday, a local official and residents said.

The bomber, wearing a military uniform, struck Najda Camp in the Abyan provincial along the coast from second city Aden where the government has its headquarters.

He failed to get through the gate and heavy exchanges of gunfire ensued as other attackers tried to penetrate the base.

Residents said they heard a loud explosion at dawn in the city, the capital of Abyan province. The bomber was suspected to be an al al-Qaeda member, the local official said.

Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since March 2015 between the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which is backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, and Iran-allied Houthi rebels.

At least 10,000 people have died in the mostly stalemated conflict, which has unleashed a humanitarian and hunger crisis in the already poor Arabian Peninsula country.
At least eight Yemeni soldiers are killed in a suicide bombing at a military camp in Zinjibar.