ADEN (Reuters) - At least 14 people were killed and 40 wounded when Islamist car suicide bombers and gunmen tried to storm the headquarters of a counter-terrorism unit in the southern port city of Aden on Saturday, security and medical sources said.

Islamic State, in a statement carried by its Amaq news agency, claimed responsibility for what it described as two “martyrdom operations” targeting the camp in Tawahi district in south-western Aden.

The agency provided no immediate evidence for the claim.

Security sources said two suicide bombers detonated two cars laden with explosives at the camp’s entrance while six gunmen tried to storm the facility.

They were all killed by guards and their bodies taken to a military hospital, a medical source told Reuters.

Aden police said in a statement on its Facebook page that security forces had foiled a major attack on the camp.

“All the ... terrorists were liquidated immediately before they could reach the outer gate of the anti-terrorism headquarters,” a police statement said.

Security sources and medics said three security men, a woman and two children died in the attack, while 40 other people, many of them civilians, were wounded.

The attack was the first of its kind in southern Yemen since gun battles erupted in January between southern separatists and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government over control of the city.

Aden is the temporary capital of Yemen’s internationally recognized Hadi government, which is now operating out of Saudi Arabia.

Backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, Hadi’s government has been battling the Iran-aligned Houthi movement since 2015 in a war that has driven the country to the verge of famine.

Residents described two large explosions in the area that sent up a cloud of gray smoke while ambulances raced to evacuate the wounded.

In a statement carried by the state-run Saba news agency, Hadi described the attack as a “cowardly act aimed to destabilize security in the temporary capital ... but it will not dissuade people from their will to achieve security, safety and decent living.”

Al Qaeda and Islamic State have exploited the war in Yemen to carry out assassinations and bombings, mostly in lawless southern Yemeni areas nominally controlled by the government.</s>ADEN (Reuters) – At least 14 people were killed and 40 wounded when Islamist car suicide bombers and gunmen tried to storm the headquarters of a counter-terrorism unit in the southern port city of Aden on Saturday, security and medical sources said.</s>(CNN) — Twin suicide blasts in Aden killed six people and injured 31 others, according to two senior security officials in Yemen.

Two car bombers targeted the Aden counterterrorism headquarters building in the southern port city, the security officials said.

Most of the injured are being treated at nearby Jimhori Hospital, the officials said. Some are reportedly in critical condition.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement by its Amaq news agency. However, the group did not offer any evidence to support the claim.

CNN cannot independently verify that ISIS carried out the attack.

A large fire broke out in the counterterrorism headquarters and continued for at least an hour after the attack, one of the officials said. The building was seriously damaged, while nearby facilities and a hotel were also damaged from the attack, the officials said.

After the attack, road blocks were established on all main roads leading to the building and checkpoints were spread throughout the city.

Civil war has raged in Yemen for three years, during which the country has become the center of a proxy war between regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia. Other non-state actors — including ISIS, al Qaeda and Houthi rebels — are also party to the conflict.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government has made the city of Aden its base, but a southern separatist movement there threatens the fragile stability of the city.

Yemen is described by the United Nations as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Over 10,000 people have been killed in the three years of war, an estimated 7 million are on the brink of famine, and 1 million people are threatened by an outbreak of cholera.</s>Dozens of people have been killed or wounded in two suicide car bombings in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, witnesses and local medics say.

Saturday’s attack occurred outside the gate of a counterterrorism camp in the city’s southwest, according to the witnesses.

The sources said the blasts caused civilian and military casualties.

Officials at Aden’s main Jumhouriya hospital said the bodies of five victims, most of them soldiers, had arrived at the facility, along with a number of injured people including civilians, but gave no precise figures.

The attack on Saturday was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) via the group’s Amaq website.

The attack took place in an area known as Gold Mohr in Aden’s Tawahi district, where the force of the blast damaged civilian cars parked outside the camp and showered the street with debris.

Aden, the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, has witnessed of late suicide bombings and blasts that target security officials.

The attacks are usually claimed by ISIL, also known as ISIS, or al-Qaeda’s local affiliate.

Saturday’s bombings were the first attack of its kind since gun battles erupted between southern separatists and the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi last month over control of Aden.

Residents described two large explosions in the area, where a cloud of grey smoke rose over the area, while ambulances raced to evacuate the wounded.

The residents initially said one of the bombers targeted an office of the separatist Southern Transitional Council, but a member of the group said there was no attack on the building.

Yemen has been locked in a power struggle since late 2014 between Hadi’s government and Iran-allied Houthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and allies started an air campaign in Yemen against the Shia group when they started advancing towards Hadi’s southern power seat of Aden.</s>Two car bombs killed at least six people and wounded 43 in Yemen’s southern city of Aden on Saturday, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State.

The first bomb targeted an anti-terrorism military camp with detention facilities for suspected militants, while the other targeted an office for the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) which is also the residence of Aden’s former governor, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, witnesses and officials said. Al-Zubaidi was not present when the bomb went off.

An Isis statement, carried by its Aamaq news agency, said two suicide bomb attacks had hit the anti-terrorism camp in Aden.

Medical officials said those killed included three civilians and three security personnel. They said the wounded were taken to hospitals for treatment.

“The explosions terrified dozens of families living in the area that hurried to the street to look for their children,” eyewitness Gamal Mahdi said.

He added that the explosions left multiple causalities, including civilians, and were followed by heavy gunfire.

Ali al-Saya, an STC member, also confirmed that one of the car bombs targeted al-Zubaidi’s residence, which is situated close to the anti-terrorism camp.

Other witnesses said militants tried to storm the camp before the explosion occurred but failed. Photographs shared after the explosion showed charred vehicles and clouds of heavy smoke.

Aden has been the seat of the government of Yemen’s president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, since 2014, when Shia rebels, known as Houthis, seized the capital Sana’a and forced him into self-exile.

A Saudi-led coalition backing Hadi has been at war with the Houthis since March 2015.</s>At least 14 killed in attack on Yemen counter-terrorism base, Islamic State claims responsibility

At least 14 people have been killed and 40 wounded when suicide bombers and gunmen tried to storm the headquarters of a Yemeni counter-terrorism unit in the southern port city of Aden, security and medical sources said.

In a statement carried by its Amaq news agency, Islamic State claimed responsibility for what it described as two "martyrdom operations" targeting the camp in Tawahi district in south-western Aden.

The agency provided no immediate evidence for the claim.

Security sources said two suicide bombers detonated two cars laden with explosives at the camp's entrance while six gunmen tried to storm the facility.

They were all killed by guards and their bodies taken to a military hospital, a medical source told Reuters.

Aden police said in a statement on its Facebook page that security forces had foiled a major attack on the camp.

Security sources and medics said three security men, a woman and two children died in the attack, while 40 other people, many of them civilians, were wounded.

The attack was the first of its kind in southern Yemen since gun battles erupted in January between southern separatists and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's Government over control of the city.

Aden is the temporary capital of Yemen's internationally recognised Hadi Government, which is now operating out of Saudi Arabia.

Backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, Mr Hadi's Government has been battling the Iran-aligned Houthi movement since 2015 in a war that has driven the country to the verge of famine.

Residents described two large explosions in the area that sent up a cloud of grey smoke while ambulances raced to evacuate the wounded.

Al Qaeda and Islamic State have exploited the war in Yemen to carry out assassinations and bombings, mostly in lawless southern Yemeni areas nominally controlled by the government.

The UN Security Council is expected to vote on Monday on a British-drafted resolution that would condemn Iran for violating a UN arms embargo by providing missiles and drones to Shiite rebels in Yemen — and commit to future action against Tehran.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said this week he opposed the draft, saying it should be about renewing the work of experts monitoring sanctions against Yemen, not condemning Iran.

Experts said in a January report that they had identified Iranian missile remnants and other equipment introduced into Yemen after the 2015 arms embargo that were fired into Saudi Arabia.</s>Two car bomb explosions killed at least six people and wounded 43 others including civilians on Saturday in Yemen’s southern city of Aden, security officials and witnesses said, in an attack claimed later by the extremist Islamic State group. The first targeted an anti-terrorism military camp with detention facilities for suspected militants while the other, which also detonated in Goldmor district, targeted an office for the Southern Transitional Council which is also the residence of Aden’s former governor Aidrous al-Zubaidi, witnesses and officials said. Al-Zubaidi was not present when the bomb went off. The Islamic State’s statement, carried by its Aamaq news agency, said two suicide bomb attacks had hit the anti-terrorism camp in Aden. Medical officials said those killed include three civilians and three security personnel.

They added that the casualties were taken to hospitals for treatment. “The explosions terrified dozens of families living in the area that hurried to the street to look for their children,” eyewitness Gamal Mahdi told The Associated Press. He added that the explosions left multiple causalities, including civilians, and were followed by heavy gunfire. Ali al-Saya, an STC member, also confirmed that one of the car bombs targeted al-Zubaidi’s residence, which is situated close to the anti-terrorism camp. Other witnesses said that militants tried to storm the camp before the explosion occurred but failed. Photos surfaced following the explosion showing the charred vehicles and clouds of heavy smoke hovering over the area.

The witnesses and officials spoke on condition of anonymity either because they feared retaliation or were not authorized to brief the media. Aden has been the seat of Hadi’s government since 2014, when Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, seized the capital Sanaa and forced him into self-exile. A Saudi-led coalition backing Hadi has been at war with the Houthis since March 2015.</s>ADEN - Dozens of people were killed or wounded in two suicide car bombings in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden on Saturday, witnesses and local medics said.

They said the attacks appeared to have targeted a camp used by anti-terrorism forces in south-western Aden. Officials at the city's main Jumhouriya hospital said the bodies of five victims, most of them soldiers, had arrived at the facility, along with a number of injured people including civilians.
Islamist car suicide bombers and gunmen try to storm the headquarters of a counter-terrorism unit in the southern port city of Aden, killing at least 14 people and wounding 40 others.