Gulf of Aden Security Review
A regularly updated review of both Yemen and the Horn of Africa covering topics related to security, governance, and militant activity.
Yemen: Coalition airstrikes kill Yemeni civilians in Hajjah; Hadi warns of Iranian expansion; ISIS Wilayat Sana’a detonates IED near U.S. embassy
Horn of Africa: Somali police arrest al Shabaab-linked individuals in Gedo region; al Shabaab publicly lashes man in Galgudud region; Somali President meets with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince
Yemen Security Brief
- An airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition killed 36 civilians at a bottling plant in Abs district in the northern governorate of Hajjah on August 30. Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri, a spokesman for the coalition, claimed that pro-al Houthi forces used the facility to build bombs.[1]
- Yemen’s exiled president Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi warned of Iranian expansion in Yemen during a visit to Sudan. Hadi quoted Iranian officials who had said that Iran occupied four Arab capitals, including Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut, and Sana’a. The perception of Iranian influence in Yemen was a driving factor behind the Saudi-led coalition’s military intervention. Saudi Arabia and the UAE now have troops on the ground in Yemen.[2]
- ISIS Wilayat Sana’a detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) near the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a on August 29. Wilayat Sana’a claimed to have targeted al Houthi guards. No casualties or injuries have been reported.[3]
Horn of Africa Security Brief
- Somali police arrested several individuals suspected of belonging to al Shabaab in Bardhere in Gedo region on August 30. The militants may have been planning attacks.[4]
- Al Shabaab publicly lashed a man in Galhareere in central Galgudud region on August 29. The man had been sentenced to 100 lashes for rape.[5]
- Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE army Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan on August 30 in Abu Dhabi. The two sides pledged to enhance bilateral ties.[6]
[1] “Saudi-led coalition air strike kills 26 Yemeni civilians: residents,” Reuters, August 30, 2015. Available: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/30/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0QZ09P20150830
Ralph Ellis, “In Yemen, 34 Civilians Killed in Bombing of Water Bottle Factory,” CNN, August 30, 2015. Available: http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/30/middleeast/yemen-bottle-factory/
[2] “‘Iranian Expansion’ Warning from Yemen’s Exiled President Hadi,” EuroNews, August 30, 201. Available: http://www.euronews.com/2015/08/30/iranian-expansion-warning-from-yemen-s-exiled-president-hadi/
Yaroslav Trofimov, “U.A.E. Takes Lead in Leaderless Southern Yemen,” Wall Street Journal, August 30, 2015. Available: http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-a-e-takes-lead-in-leaderless-southern-yemen-1440967029
[3] “Explosion in Sana'a due to an explosive device targeting a site near the Washington embassy.. and no victims” [Arabic], Al Masdar, August 29, 2015. Available: http://almasdaronline.com/article/74854
Second source available upon request.
[4] “Somali Police Nab Several Suspects Linked to al-Shabaab,” Xinhua, August 31, 2015. Available: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-08/31/c_134570716.htm
[5] “Somalia: Alshabab Flog a Rapist in Galhareeri Location in an Open are the Radical Islamist Group in Somalia,” Dalsan Radio, August 29, 2015. Available: http://www.radiodalsan.com/2015/08/29/somalia-alshabab-flog-a-rapist-in-galhareeri-location-in-an-open-are-the-radical-islamist-group-in-somalia/
[6] “UAE, Somalia vow to enhance bilateral ties,” Xinhua, August 31, 2015. Available: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=300537.
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