Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Iranian cleric says al Houthis connected to al Qaeda; ninety al Houthi rebels have surrendered in Sa’ada; two alleged al Qaeda members arrested in Ma’rib; bomb in Hawta injures two

Horn of Africa: Hizb al Islam applies strict Shari’ah punishments in town of Afgoi; al Shabaab attacks government and African Union troops in Mogadishu; Puntland security forces kill attacker in Galkayo; Banadir University classes have resumed

Yemen Security Review

• Iranian cleric Abdul Karim Mousawi Ardebili declared that the Sa’ada war was not against Shiites, but that the al Houthi rebels had ties to al Qaeda.  Yemen has accused Iranian religious officials of supporting the rebels and has urged Iran to take action against those aiding the al Houthi rebels.[1]

• Since last Monday, ninety al Houthi rebels have turned themselves in to security forces.  Thirty women were detained in connection to the rebels, but were released after submitting a written letter of remorse.  Official sources report that the military continues to advance along all major fronts.[2]

• The governor of Ma’rib province, Naji al Zaidi, reported that two al Qaeda members, Mubarak Aqqay al Shabwani and Mansour Dalil al Hatiki, were arrested after a security patrol clashed with a group of “terrorists.”  One of them is believed to have been involved in the assassination of Colonel Bassam Tarbush that took place last month.  In addition, three corpses buried in the style used by al Qaeda members to bury “martyrs” were found in a tomb in Ma’rib province.[3]

• A bomb, reportedly placed by southern separatists, injured a civilian and a soldier in Hawta, the capital of Lahij province.[4]

Horn of Africa Security Review

• In Afgoi, southwest of Mogadishu, Hizb al Islam militants sentenced two men to death: one for adultery and one for murder.  A 15-year-old girl received 100 lashes for adultery.  This is the first known instance that Hizb al Islam has sentenced individuals using such a strict interpretation of Shari’ah law.  A dissident faction of Hizb al Islam protested against the immediate application of the sentences, and the ensuing firefight killed three Hizb al Islam militants and injured five others.  The murderer was shot by a relative of the murder victim, and the adulterer was stoned to death.  The 15-year-old girl was spared death because she admitted she was never married.[5]

• Islamists attacked government and African Union bases along Warshadaha Street and the Jalle Siad building, where Burundian forces are based, in Mogadishu Monday morning.  Al Shabaab militants had blocked off the street on Sunday.  At least two civilians were killed and another two injured in the fighting.[6]

• A Somali government commander, Salad Hareed Hilowle, has joined Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a.  Hilowle had been driven out of Beledweyne two months ago by Hizb al Islam militants and has said that he would help Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a capture Beledweyne.[7]

• Puntland security forces killed an assailant who attacked three Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a clerics in Galkayo.  Reportedly, the man was from south central Somalia.[8]

• Classes at Banadir University have resumed despite the suicide bombing at the medical graduation ceremony.[9]