A Yemeni security official says government shelling has killed five al-Qaida-linked militants in a southern town, while one soldier has died in a landmine explosion in the same area.

The official says the bombardment in Zinjibar started on Saturday night and continued through early Sunday.

He says a Yemeni soldier died when he stepped on a mine Sunday east of Zinjibar. He spoke on condition of anonymity according to regulations.

During the past year of turmoil in Yemen, al-Qaida-linked militants seized control of parts of the south including Zinjibar. Government operations have failed to oust them.

On Saturday, a car bomb killed at least 25 people in the south, hours after the country's new president was formally inaugurated.