Yemen's al-Qaida branch claims responsibility for attack on army complex in port city of Aden

CAIRO – Yemen's al-Qaida branch has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack this week on an army complex in the southern port city of Aden, saying it meant to "destroy the joint operations room for U.S. drones" operating in the country.

A statement by Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, as the group is known, was posted late Thursday on a militant website.

Yemen's Defense Ministry has said six army officers were killed in Wednesday's attack, along with one civilian. The ministry said 10 militants died and two were arrested.

The Aden attack was similar to one in the capital of Sanaa in December that targeted the defense ministry's headquarters, killing more than 50 people.

U.S. drone strikes and Yemeni military operations have struggled to limit al-Qaida's foothold in the country's troubled south.