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 May 1 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.
Militants with ties to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) may have planned to conduct attacks in Tunisia during the month of Ramadan, which begins in late May.
Tunisian security forces killed the reported commander of the AQIM-affiliated Uqba ibn Nafa’a Brigade during a raid in Sidi Bouzid, central Tunisia. The cell may also have ties to ISIS. ISIS and AQIM operate in shared safe havens in western Tunisia. [Related reading: ISIS Signals Tunisian Presence with Bardo Museum Attack]
The French military intervened to remove Salafi-jihadi militants from the Malian-Burkinabe border region after an unsuccessful Malian-Burkinabe effort.
A French commando force with air support launched “Operation Bayard” against the al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb-linked group Ansar al Islam in the Fhero forest region. French forces killed or captured approximately 20 Ansar al Islam militant during the operation. Ansar al Islam will likely withdraw to other support zones among the ethnic Fulani populations of northern Burkina Faso. [Related reading: Warning from the Sahel: Al Qaeda’s Resurgent Threat]
Citations & Links
Citations & Links
Al Shabaab is pursuing multiple lines of effort to exercise control over populations in Somalia.
Al Shabaab militants claimed to distribute food aid to 300 families in El Bur, Galgudud region, central Somalia as part of a broader effort to capitalize on the government’s failure to deliver sufficient aid. An al Shabaab court ordered the stoning of a man accused of rape and murder in neighboring Hiraan region. Al Shabaab positions itself as an alternative source of governance in areas where the Somali Federal Government has limited reach. [Related reading: Al Shabaab’s Humanitarian Response]
Citations & Links
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) continues to advance al Qaeda’s methodology of unifying Sunni ranks.
AQAP emir Qasim al Raymi stated in an April 30 interview that his militants fight alongside Salafi militias, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Sunni tribal forces against al Houthi-Saleh forces in order to facilitate unification. Nearly all of AQAP’s claimed attacks targeted al Houthi-Saleh forces in the past month. AQAP emphasizes its military operations against al Houthi-Saleh forces over attacking Emirati-backed forces in southern Yemen in order to strengthen its Sunni tribal ties. (Related reading: AQAP Expanding behind Yemen's Frontlines)
