A suicide bomber killed four soldiers on Monday when he rammed a car laden with explosives into a military checkpoint in Aden, residents and a security official said.

Several soldiers were also wounded in the attack at al-Mimdara neighbourhood in Sheikh Othman district, northeast of Aden, but they gave no precise figure.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but it appears to resemble previous bombings carried out by the Yemeni branch of Islamic State that have targeted security forces or senior officials in Aden since supporters of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi retook the city from Iran-allied Houthis last year.

The embattled Yemen government is based in Aden and has struggled to build up a national military and pay its bills, including to fighters who have fought on its behalf, as al Qaeda and Islamic State militants have taken advantage of 10 months of civil war to expand their presence in the second largest city.

In fighting on Sunday, local militiamen and soldiers guarding the presidential palace fought hours of gunbattles over unpaid medical bills and compensations for guards in an attack outside the palace last month.

Local fighters said on Monday that eight people from both sides died, while seven others were wounded.