An al Qaeda-linked group in Yemen is claiming responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed at least four government soldiers.

On Tuesday, a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle laden with explosives near a checkpoint in the south of the country.

The bombing is the latest in a spate of attacks by Islamist militants in Yemen. They have escalated their operations in Yemen's south after Yemen's new government has vowed to fight al Qaeda's regional wing.

The group said the attack was in revenge for recent air strikes which it blames on U.S. drones. Washington has repeatedly used drones to target militants in Yemen.

Tribal sources say more than 60 militants have been killed over the past week in air strikes attributed to the United States and Yemen.

Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.