Gunmen tried to break early Wednesday into the offices of public security, central security and political security in Yemen's Lahj province triggering fierce clashes that left many dead and wounded.

The News Yemen quoted local sources as saying that the identified victims were all from the security systems and that the battles at dawn were really fierce with the armed people using RPGs.

The people were terrified keeping themselves indoors and the stores closed as security sources were quoted as saying that some of the armed people were killed also.

However, the website quoted informed sources as saying that the armed people took over security and other public offices, and they fired RPGs at the central bank branch and the judicial compound but they failed to take control of them.

Furthermore, they combed the streets to eliminate security members and urge the people to join them, it added.