Aden (Yemen), Nov 9 (IANS): Unidentified gunmen shot dead a general of Yemen's internationally recognised government in the country's northeastern oil-rich province of Marib, a security official told Xinhua news agency.

"Masked gunmen opened fire from their automatic rifles and assassinated General Mohamed Al-Jaradi and his bodyguard in the government-controlled province of Marib," the official said on condition of anonymity on Tuesday.

Al-Jaradi was returning from a work assignment in the city when the gunmen in ambush fired a barrage of gunshots at the military vehicle carrying him, he added.

Al-Jaradi was a senior commander of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and personally led large-scale military operations against the Houthi rebels during the past years, Xinhua news agency reported.

The assailants managed to escape after carrying out the drive-by shooting, and local security forces have launched an investigation into the killing, according to the official.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the killing.

Ferocious battles frequently take place between the Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebel militia over the capture of the strategic oil-rich province of Marib.

Yemen's civil war flared in late 2014 when the Houthi group seized control over much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognised government out of the capital Sanaa.