Six gunmen in Yemen attempted to storm the headquarters of the counter-terrorism unit in the southern city of Aden on Saturday, according to agencies.
Two suicide bombers also detonated cars laden with explosives outside the building's entrance causing over a dozen deaths and dozens of casualties.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the two operations, which occurred in the Gold Mohur area of Tawahi district in Aden, a southern port city in Yemen.
At least 14 people were killed and 40 wounded as a result of the attacks, Reuters reported. Amongst the casualties was a member of Aden's elite counter-terrorism forces.
Guards managed to kill the two suicide bombers and six gunmen.
Aden police said on its Facebook page that it had thwarted a major terror attack.
"All the… terrorists were liquidated immediately before they could reach the outer gate of the anti-terrorism headquarters," the statement read.
The attack was the first of its kind since clashes erupted between southern separatists in south Yemen and the Saudi-backed Yemen President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who is based in Riyadh.
Aden is home to the internationally-recognised Yemeni government, which headed south from the capital after Hadi and his allies were driven out of Sanaa
In a statement Hadi called the attack a "cowardly act aimed to destablise security in the temporary capital… but it will not dissuade people from their will to achieve security, safety and decent living".
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninusala (AQAP) and the Islamic State group have thrived in Yemen following the Saudi-led bombing campaign that began in March 2015.
The UN has called Yemen the "world's worst humanitarian disaster". There are one million suspected cholera cases in the country.