SANAA — Yemeni witnesses and officials say a powerful car bomb has struck a government building in the southern port city of Aden, killing five people and wounding 12. The attack was claimed by Daesh (the so-called IS) group.

The witnesses and security officials say the early Wednesday blast completely destroyed the finance ministry building, damaged nearby houses and triggered fires in shops in the area. They spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution.

The US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant websites, said theDaesh group's affiliate in Yemen claimed responsibility in an online statement.

Aden has seen an uptick in violence, with a series of attacks and assassinations claimed by the Daesh branch. The city is the seat of Yemen's internationally recognized government, which s at war with Shiite rebels.

Despite a military intervention launched in March 2015, the capital Sanaa and much of north of the country remain in the hands of Shiite rebels.

The power vacuum has allowed both Al-Qaeda and daesh to bolster their presence in Yemen, particularly in the government-held south.

Aden has been hit by a spate of bombings that have killed hundreds of people, some claimed by Al-Qaeda and some by Daesh.

With US-backing, the Saudi-led coalition has expanded its campaign in Yemen to battle the militants in the south, but they retain control of parts of the mountainous and desert interior.

Al-Qaeda's Yemen-based arm is regarded by Washington as the militantnetwork's most dangerous but Daesh has claimed a growing number of attacks in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country over the past two years. — Agencies