Yemeni naval forces clash with al-Qaida suspects in southern port city

ADEN, Yemen, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni naval forces and unknown gunmen clashed near a navy base in the southern port city of Aden, with no immediate reports of casualties, a security official told Xinhua on Saturday.

The gunfight erupted on Friday night around a base of the Yemeni navy forces, in the neighborhood of Tawahi in downtown Aden, after masked attackers suspected of belonging to al-Qaida opened fire toward the troops guarding the camp, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"The shootout lasted for more than two hours. The two sides traded heavy machine-gun fire with each other," he said, adding "no more details about any casualties were available till now."

The southern port city of Aden, a main stronghold of the pro-secession groups in southern Yemen, has been plagued by violence since al-Qaida militants overran several towns in neighboring Abyan province last May. Explosions and assassinations conducted by pro-secession militants and al-Qaida fighters were frequently seen in the city during the past year.

Local observers and analysts fear that security situation in Aden may worsen as the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch threatens to overrun the port city, despite the tightened security measures imposed by Yemeni authorities.