SANAA, Yemen ? �Yemeni officials say Al-Qaida militants launched an attack on a security headquarters in a southern town the group controlled until recently, gunning down four soldiers.

Officials say Wednesday's dawn attack took place in Jaar, which the military recaptured from al-Qaida in June.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Witnesses say they saw armed men storm the security building with automatic rifles.

The attack comes as Yemen's Defense Ministry is deploying thousands of troops in the south to prevent attempts by al-Qaida to regain lost territory.

Militants took advantage of political turmoil in the impoverished nation on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula to overrun several cities, but a two-month government offensive pushed them back.