Aden, Aug 15 (IANS): A massive blast struck a patrol of newly-recruited security forces in the Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Saturday, claiming the lives of at least two personnel, a government official said.

"Unknown gunmen detonated their booby-trapped motorcycle and struck a security patrol in Aden's district of Dar Sad, leaving two soldiers killed and six others injured," the official told Xinhua news agency on Saturday.

He confirmed that the attack was "apparently" aimed at targeting a senior security official of the newly-recruited southern security forces but "he survived with slight injuries".

Witnesses near the scene confirmed to Xinhua that the explosion shook their residential neighborhood and dark plumes of smoke rose from the site.

They indicated that armed clashes and heavy exchange of gunfire broke out following the huge explosion.

Local authorities are trying to maintain security and stability in the strategic Yemeni port city considered as the country's temporary capital.

However, sporadic bombing incidents and drive-by shooting attacks still occur in Aden, where the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has been based since 2015.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

-