Sanaa, Dec 30 (IANS): At least 10 soldiers were killed when gunmen attacked a Yemeni military post in Lahj province Monday, police said.

The military post located in the suburbs of Lahj province was attacked by secessionist gunmen who were driving vehicles topped with machine-guns. At least 10 soldiers were killed at the scene, a provincial police official told Xinhua.

The official said the attack took place in al-Habylan area, some 20 km from the entrance to Lahj province.

"The army forces swiftly launched a large-scale manhunt against the secessionist attackers and arrested one of them," said an army source.

"Two military vehicles were destroyed during the attack. The identities of the gunmen remained unclear," the source added.

Tension escalated between security forces and supporters of the secessionist movement after artillery shells struck a funeral gathering attended by southern separatists Friday, killing 12 people, including children.

North and south Yemen were unified peacefully in 1990, but the relationship deteriorated in 1994. Calls for separation in the country's southern regions were renewed in 2007.

The people in the southern part have been complaining of being marginalised, particularly since they lost the four-month civil war in 1994. Pro-secession protests are on the rise in the south amid a worsening economic situation and allegations of discrimination in favour of people of northern part.

The conflicts in southern Yemen are creating instability amid the growing influence of the Al Qaeda.