Two civilians were killed during armed clashes between security forces and unknown gunmen in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Monday, a government official said.

The hours-long clashes in Aden's neighborhood of Mansourah also injured several including security troops and the militants, the local official said on condition of anonymity.

Various medium and heavy weapons were used in the clashes, causing partial damage to citizens' homes, the source added.

Meanwhile, a statement released by Aden's police command confirmed that one of its patrols "was attacked by gunmen in Mansourah, leaving one of the security members injured."

Reinforcements arrived later and began a search for the attackers who fled and used residential buildings as shield, according to the statement.

Aden is considered Yemen's temporary capital where the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has been based since 2015.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthi rebels overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa.