A Yemeni security member was killed and another was kidnapped after an attack launched by al-Qaida militants in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Wednesday, a government official said.

The local government source said on condition of anonymity that "nearly eight terror elements of the al-Qaida group attacked a security checkpoint located in Lawdar district, northeast of Abyan province."

He confirmed that the attack resulted in the killing of a member of the newly-recruited security belt forces stationed in the country's southern part.

The source indicated that the attack also resulted in the kidnapping of another security member from the same checkpoint who was taken to an unknown destination by the terrorists.

The source did not disclose more details about the nature of the armed attack or the causalities among the assailants.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) network, which mostly operates in the eastern and southern provinces, has been responsible for many high-profile attacks against security forces in the country.