Yemeni officials say a suicide bomber killed at least 35 people and wounded dozens of others late Saturday in a southern town.

The bomber struck in the village of Jaar, one of several towns in Abyan province that were retaken from Al-Qaida in a major government offensive in June.

The Reuters news agency says the bomber appears to have targeted people who supported the military during the offensive against Islamist militants.

Al-Qaeda-linked militants seized several towns in Abyan province last year, while the government was preoccupied with the pro-democracy uprising against then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Mr. Saleh's successor, President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, launched an offensive in May to recapture some of those areas.