Nine Yemeni soldiers loyal to President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi were killed in a car bombing in Hadramawt governorate, Al-Arabia news channel reported Friday, citing a Yemeni military source.

A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-packed car into an army checkpoint on Friday, leaving nine soldiers dead, the source said.

The source blamed Al Qaeda militants for the attack.

Hadi was forced out of the country after Shiite Houthi rebels last year seized the capital Sanaa and challenged the government’s authority.

In March, a Saudi-led coalition launched an air campaign against the Houthis and allied forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in a bid to restore the authority of Hadi, who has taken refuge in Riyadh.