At least five civilians were injured as a roadside bomb struck a vehicle in Yemen's southeastern province of Shabwa on Saturday, a government official told Xinhua.

"A mine planted by terrorists hit a civilian car at a main street in Shabwa's provincial capital of Ataq city. As a result, five people were injured," the local official said on condition of anonymity.

"The blast took place just a few minutes after a military convoy of the special security forces passed by," the government source said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and Yemeni military authorities have yet to comment.

Militants of the Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot were blamed by the country's government for a series of assassinations and armed attacks, mostly in the southern regions.

The al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which emerged in January 2009, is considered the most strategic threat to the Yemeni government and neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.