A policeman stands guard on the debris at the site of a Saudi-led air strike on the police headquarters in Yemen’s capital Sanaa.

Suspected al-Qaeda members killed five police officers on Friday in an attack in Yemen’s second city of Aden, a security source said.

The masked assailants attacked a police outpost in the Basateen area of northern Aden before fleeing, the source said.

The incident came a day after three pro-government soldiers were killed by suspected extremists in the southern port city.

Al-Qaeda controls parts of Aden, where the government of President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi has set up base in its battle against Shiite Houthi militias who control the capital Sanaa.

With support from a Saudi-led coalition, Hadi’s forces have driven the rebels out of Aden and four other southern provinces since last July but the Shiite rebels control much of the north.

Qaeda and rival ISIS have taken advantage of the conflict to gain ground in southern cities such as Aden.

They have claimed a string of attacks and assassinations in recent months.

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