Hawzah News Agency (Aden, Yemen) - The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group has claimed responsibility for a deadly bomb attack against forces loyal to the Saudi-backed former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in the southern port city of Aden.

The claim of responsibility was made online Sunday by the terrorist group's so-called Aden and Abyan Wilayah, which said "clashes are still ongoing."

At least 15 people, including several police officers, were killed and dozens more wounded after a car bomber on Sunday blew himself up outside the main security headquarters in Aden's Khor Maksar district. Clashes erupted in the area immediately afterward, witnesses reported.

The attack, which also sparked a hostage crisis, continued well into the day. Local forces confirmed that they were continuing to battle terrorists who had also taken hostages in a police department.

Earlier on Sunday, it was said that al-Qaeda militants were suspected of being responsible for the attack. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been the most active militant group in southern Yemen in recent years.

In May, Qasim al-Rimi, the ringleader of AQAP said that his forces had often fought alongside militia backed by the US and Saudi Arabia as well as supporters of Hadi against the Yemeni army and the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.

Aden is dominated by pro-Hadi Yemeni forces, backed by the United Arab Emirates, which is a key member of a campaign led by the regime in Riyadh against Yemen.

The Saudi-led war, which began in March 2015, has been accompanied by a naval and aerial blockade on Yemen. It has so far killed over 12,000 people and led to a humanitarian crisis.

The Riyadh regime launched the offensive to eliminate Yemen’s Houthi movement and reinstall a friendly regime there. The campaign, however, has failed to achieve its goals despite spending billions of dollars.