Armed separatists kidnapped on Sunday an officer in Yemen's southern Lahj province where military reinforcements arrived in the last few days to control the persistent unrest.

A security source said Major Muhammad Al-Khawlani from the military base in south Al-Habilain district was kidnapped at noon by the armed people spreading throughout the district.

He was taken to an unknown place, the source said.

The kidnappers set a 24-hour deadline to release the officer in return for the release of separatists detained in connection with the unrest that has been sweeping the south.

If our detainees are not released, we will not be responsible for the officer's life, they said.

In the last few days, confrontations erupted between the army and armed gangs amid continuous protests that usually turn violent in many parts of Lahj.