Officials in Yemen say the commander of military forces in the country's south was killed Monday in a suicide bombing.

Monday's assassin blew himself up in the southern port city of Aden after throwing himself at Major General Salem Ali Qatan's vehicle. The attack also killed at least two others in the vehicle with the commander. Yemen's Defense Ministry said the bomber was a Somali national but did not provide more details.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland condemned what she called a “cowardly” attack and extended deepest condolences to the commander's family and friends.

“Major General al-Qatan was leading the fight against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in Southern Yemen and had recently achieved some very important successes in pushing AQAP out of several Yemeni cities. We made reference to those in a statement over the weekend. The United States will continue to support President Hadi and those who carry on the efforts of Major General al-Qatan as they work to realize a brighter and more prosperous future for the Yemeni people.”

Last week, government troops retook control of key al-Qaida strongholds in the country's south during an all-out U.S.-backed offensive.

The militants warned they would strike back with surprise attacks on civilian and government targets