Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: AQAP destroys an army headquarters in al Mukalla; Saudi-led reinforcements mobilize near the Saudi-Yemeni border; coalition reinforcements arrive in Ma’rib; VBIED explodes in Lahij

Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab ambushes SNA convoy in Gedo region; al Shabaab attacks SNA military base near Baidoa

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants blew up an army headquarters in al Mukalla, the capital of Hadramawt, on August 26, just one day after bombing the city’s police headquarters. Militants also set up checkpoints in the area.[1]

• Saudi military reinforcements mobilized towards the al Horth region, near the Saudi-Yemeni border, on August 26. The mobilization follows a week of escalation along the border that has included two missile launches into Saudi territory.[2]

• Military reinforcements from the Saudi-led coalition arrived in Ma’rib province in the late evening on August 26. Heavy weaponry reinforcements included dozens of tanks, armored vehicles, personnel carriers, rocket launchers, and self-propelled guns.[3]

• A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) detonated outside of a security building in the Sabr region of Lahij province on August 27, killing one person and damaging neighboring buildings.[4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Al Shabaab militants ambushed a Somali National Army (SNA) convoy near the town of Baladhawo, Gedo region, near the Kenyan-Somali border, on August 26. Al Shabaab militants alleged they had killed at least seven SNA forces, including two senior officials.[5]

• Al Shabaab militants attacked an SNA military base north of Baidoa, Bay region, on August 26. SNA soldiers were able to thwart the attack. The attack came a day after SNA and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces attempted to seize three villages from al Shabaab south of Baidoa.[6]