Pro-gov't forces, Qaida suspects clash in Yemen's Aden

Heavy fighting broke out between pro-government forces and suspected al-Qaida gunmen in Yemen's southern port city of Aden early on Tuesday, a military official told Xinhua.

"The heavy fighting occurred after security units backed armored vehicles attempted to enter Aden's neighborhood of Mansourah, where scores of al-Qaida members have large presence and influence, " the local military official said on condition of anonymity.

"The Yemeni security forces backed by troops of the Saudi-led Arab coalition faced strong resistance from suspected al-Qaida gunmen positioned in Mansourah, sparking fierce clashes in the area," the military source said.

Local residents told Xinhua that "large explosions were heard in Mansourah and scores of unknown masked gunmen deployed on the streets and seized several homes."

Warplanes of the Saudi-led Arab coalition and U.S. drones were seen flying and hovering over Aden's airspace, according to the residents.

A source of Aden's Police Command told Xinhua saying that "the security forces are now implementing a new strategy for maintaining security in Aden, fighting off terrorists and driving them out from Mansourah."

The port city of Aden, Yemen's temporary capital, has been witnessing a state of chaos and lawlessness during the past weeks resulted in the assassination of Aden's former governor, several high-ranking security officers and judges.

Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East and the affiliate of the Islamic State.

Security situation in the country has deteriorated since March when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullash Saleh, and the government backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition. Endit