Aden, Dec 6 (IANS): The governor of Yemen's Aden province was killed along with six bodyguards after a bomb struck his vehicle on Sunday, an official source said. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing.

Major General Jafar Mohammed Saad, the newly appointed governor of Aden, was killed while passing through Tawahi district towards his workplace, a military official said.

The Islamic State, in a statement posted on twitter, claimed responsibility for the attack, Xinhua news agency reported. It threatened to launch more attacks against the Yemeni government.

The attack was the second in recent months against high-level officials of the exiled Yemeni government.

In October, a hotel in Aden where Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and his cabinet were living was attacked by a bomb attack inspired by the Islamic State. Bahah and his cabinet members escaped the attack unharmed.

Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional Al Qaeda insurgency in the Middle East and the affiliate of the IS.

The security situation in the country has deteriorated since March when war broke out between the Shia Houthi group, supported by former president Ali Abdullash Saleh, and the government.