Critical Threats Today
A regular summary of al Qaeda operations in Yemen and Africa as well as major events in Iran.
These are the major events from April 25 for Iran and for al Qaeda operations in Yemen and Africa. Please see the Iran News Roundup, the Gulf of Aden Security Review, and the weekly Threat Update for more details.
The promotion of key Saudi officials may indicate an effort to secure greater U.S. support for a military solution to the Yemen conflict.
Saudi King Salman appointed Prince Khaled bin Salman, a fighter pilot who has conducted airstrikes in Yemen, to be the new Saudi ambassador to the U.S. King Salman also promoted Saudi-led coalition spokesman Major General Ahmed Asiri to Deputy Intelligence Director. (Related reading: Warning to the Trump Administration: Be careful about Yemen)
Citations & Links
The Kenyan military increased its operational tempo in the Kenyan-Somali border region to coincide with the lead-up to Kenyan general elections in August 2017.
Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) warplanes struck an al Shabaab camp near El Adde in Gedo region, southwestern Somalia, on April 24. KDF artillery and ground troops also killed 52 al Shabaab militants in Badhadhe district in Lower Jubba region on April 21. The ruling party seeks to solidify domestic support by promoting successful military operations in Somalia. Kenya’s largest opposition coalition intends to withdraw KDF troops from Somalia if it takes power. (Related reading: US Counterterrorism Objectives in Somalia: Is Mission Failure Likely?)
Citations & Links
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) associates are targeting the seam between Malian tribal groups and non-state armed groups.
Al Qaeda associate Jama’a Nusrat al Islam wa al Muslimeen (JNIM) distributed leaflets threatening the Congress for Justice in Azawad (CJA) group in western Timbuktu region. JNIM made clear that it did not intend to threaten the Kel Antessar tribe, the CJA’s main support base. JNIM may intend to capitalize on the grievances of members of the Kel Antessar who believe that the CJA is compromising their interests by cooperating with the Coordination of the Movement for the Azawad, which is dominated by the Ifoghas tribe. (Related reading: Warning from the Sahel: Al Qaeda’s Resurgent Threat)
Citations & Links
The Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) may be pulling away from talks with the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) after a recent warming of relations.
House of Representatives (HoR) president Ageela Saleh stated that his meeting with GNA State Council head Abdulrahman al Swehli in Rome on April 21 was in Swehli’s capacity as a Libyan citizen, not a representative of the GNA. Saleh’s backtracking may be a tactic to secure concessions from the GNA before the HoR will join official talks. The HoR has boycotted the UN process for more than a year in a bid to avoid legitimizing the GNA. [Related reading: Backgrounder: Fighting Forces in Libya.]
Citations & Links
The al Qaeda-linked Imam Shamil Battalion claimed the April 3 suicide attack on the St. Petersburg metro in Russia.
The Imam Shamil Battalion claimed that it conducted the attack on the orders of al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri. The group framed the bombing as retaliation for Russia’s support of the Assad regime. The April 3 bombing was the deadliest Salafi-jihadi attack on Russian soil since the beginning of the Russian intervention in Syria in September 2015. (Related reading: Putin’s Real Syria Agenda)
