Suspected al-Qaida gunmen attacked a security headquarters in Yemen’s southern province of Dhalea on Friday night, a government official told Xinhua.

“Intense armed confrontations are still going on between the security forces and the al-Qaida suspects in and around the security headquarters in Dhalea amid large explosions,” the local official said on condition of anonymity.

The gunmen’s attack on the security headquarters that includes a prison is aimed to free al-Qaida inmates in it, he added.

A few security personnel including two senior officials were already killed in the attack, the official told Xinhua.

Local eyewitnesses said the gunmen detonated bombs during their battles with security forces, causing large explosions. Ambulances and a security unit backed by armored vehicles rushed to the scene, they added.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) network has been responsible for many high-profile attacks against the security forces in the country’s southern provinces.

The AQAP has exploited years of deadly conflict between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels to expand its presence in the war-ravaged Arab country.