President George W Bush offered condolences to the families of those killed on the attack on the US embassy in Yemen on Weddnesday, reminding that “we are at war with extremists.”

"This attack is a reminder that we are at war with extremists who will murder innocent people to achieve their ideological objectives," Bush said at the White House.

Al-Qaeda is suspected of being behind the attack in the Yemeni capital Sana'a that killed 10 people, including six policemen. The six terrorists also died in the suicide attack.

"There were some security forces that lost their lives there and we send our condolences to their families," Bush said during a meeting with General David Petraeus.

Petraeus left his post as head of US forces in Iraq on Tuesday to become head of Central Command at the end of next month. He will oversee US military operations in the Middle East and South Asia.

The terrorists attacked outside the perimeter of the US embassy, using a car bomb and automatic weapons. One was wearing an explosive belt, Yemeni authorities said. The security guards prevented the attackers from getting inside the embassy compound.