An Al-Qaeda suicide bomber killed himself and injured five other people after he detonated his explosives at a gathering led by the deputy director of the Lawder city in Yemen's Abyan province on Saturday, security sources told the Yemen Post.

The deputy, Muhammad Al-Aidrous, survived the bombing which occurred at the directorate building while the body of the bomber, who was identified by the authorities, was flung at the area in a terrible way, the sources said.

The five, who were wounded in the attack, were of the bodyguards of Al-Aidrous, the sources added.

Al-Qaeda has recently stepped up its suicide attacks against Yemeni officials, especially military and security chiefs and personnel as well as officials the anti-Qaeda popular committees after the army drove its militants out of their strongholds in Abyan and Shabwa provinces this year.

In the meantime, the Yemeni army is continuing a massive hunt for the remaining operatives of Al-Qaeda, most of whom have been taken out by US drones in the southeastern and southern regions.