Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Yemeni Special Forces battalion arrives in Hadramawt; Yemeni military clashes with suspected AQAP cell in Hadramawt; Abdul Malik al Houthi issues statement regarding ongoing protests in Sana’a; Yemeni security raids terrorist cell in Hadramawt; al Houthi militants attack military personnel in al Jawf

Horn of Africa: Suspected al Shabaab-affiliated militants attack Kenyan police camp in Kenya’s North Eastern Province; Somali security forces conduct security operations in Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• 200 Yemeni Special Force soldiers arrived at the Sayun Airport in Sayun, Hadramawt on August 19 to support Yemeni military operations against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants.[1]

• Soldiers from the Yemeni Second Regional Command raided a house and clashed with suspected AQAP militants at Siteen Street in al Mukalla, Hadramawt on August 18. Following the clashes, the militants fled and the Yemeni military seized various types of military equipment, explosives, detonators, drugs, computer hardware, civilian and military clothes, ammunition, and rocket propelled grenades (RPG) in the house. No casualties have been reported.[2]

• Abdul Malik al Houthi, leader of the al Houthi movement, issued a statement on August 18 regarding ongoing fuel-subsidy protests in Sana’a. In his statement, al Houthi encouraged people to protest against the lack of reforms from the Yemeni government and issued an ultimatum for the government to review its policies. Separately, al Houthi militants were reportedly setting up camps near entrances to Sana’a.[3]

• Al Houthi militants clashed with an unspecified Yemeni military brigade in al Ghayl, al Jawf on August 19. Five al Houthi vehicles were destroyed in the clashes, while no specific casualties were reported.[4]

Horn of Africa Brief

• Suspected al Shabaab-affiliated militants attacked a Kenyan police camp in Bodhai near the Garissa-Lamu County border in Kenya’s North Eastern Province on August 18. The militants injured two people and destroyed a police vehicle during the attack. Separately, unidentified gunmen ambushed a civilian vehicle in Garissa, North Eastern Province on August 18, killing one person and injuring another. Finally, unidentified assailants ambushed a vehicle transporting qat near Mandera, North Eastern Province on August 19. No group has yet claimed responsibility for any of the three incidents.[5]

• Somali security forces, including national security and police personnel, conducted a security operation in Bakara market in Mogadishu on August 19. The security forces arrested at least 45 suspects during the operation, which reportedly sought to enhance security in Hawl Wadag district.[6]