Ansar al-Shariah, an Al-Qaeda-linked group, seeks to retaliate against tribal leaders who backed the Yemeni army in the military offensive that forced al-Qaeda militants to leave Abyan.
On Wednesday, a tribal leader and a local official of Abyan survived an assassination attempt as al-Qaeda militants installed an ambush.
Local sources said that a prominent tribal leader Mohammad Sokain and a member of the local authorities Ahmed Aidros survived the ambush in Al-Wadaia area of Abyan.
The incident came after a meeting held by tribal leaders presided over by Sokain with the aim of drawing a map to combat terrorism in Abyan.
Sokain told media outlets that he was threatened several times by unidentified persons through phone calls.
Al-Qaeda restored to use other tactics as it assassinated a number of Yemeni military commanders and officers and carried out suicide bombings against military and security institutions in the capital Sana'a and other cities.
Early of August, al-Qaeda killed at least 45 people and wounding dozens more in the deadliest attack since the army declared victory over militants in June.
Last Friday, a senior Yemeni military officer, Brigadier Omar Barasheed, was killed when a bomb planted in his car exploded in the southeastern city of Mukalla in an attack blamed on al Qaeda.
Security officials said that the authorities foiled many plans to carry out terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda in the capital Sana'a, affirming that seized 40 belts packed with explosives.