Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Video features AQAP emir Qasim al Raymi; AQAP claims credit for assassination in Sana’a and IED attack on GPC headquarters in al Bayda; Saudi forces thwart al Houthi-Saleh missile attack on Jazan

Horn of Africa: Reported U.S. airstrike hits al Shabaab training camp in Shata Ameerika, Lower Shabelle region; al Shabaab assassinates two government workers in Mogadishu, Banadir region; militants threaten attack near Pandangou, Lamu County, Kenya

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a video featuring Qasim al Raymi, the emir of AQAP, on December 18. This is the first video of Qasim al Raymi since he assumed the position, after his predecessor Nasir al Wuhayshi was killed by a U.S. airstrike in June 2015. In the video, al Raymi discusses the importance of unity among Muslims and emphasizes that the United States remains AQAP’s primary target. He also criticizes the declaration of an Islamic emirate in Yemen by the Islamic State in Iraq and al Sham (ISIS).[1]

• AQAP-affiliated media outlet Ansar al Sharia News released statements on December 21 crediting AQAP for the assassination of an al Houthi commander in Sana’a city the day before. AQAP also claimed credit for several improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in al Bayda governorate, including an attack on the headquarters of the General People’s Congress (GPC) east of al Bayda city on December 21.[2]

• Saudi-led coalition forces intercepted a missile fired by al Houthi-Saleh forces toward Jazan province in southern Saudi Arabia on December 21. The missile was reportedly targeting Aramco oil facilities. Saudi officials promised a severe response to the al Houthis, following four attempted missile attacks on Saudi and coalition positions in four days.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• A reported U.S. airstrike hit an al Shabaab training camp on December 22 in Shata Ameerika, Lower Shabelle region. Somali officials confirmed the strike and said that the operation killed a senior al Shabaab commander, known as Abu Ubaydah, and four other militants. Al Shabaab has yet to comment on the strike.[4] 

• Al Shabaab gunmen killed two government workers in separate attacks on December 21 in Mogadishu, Banadir region. In one attack, gunmen shot a central bank worker as he exited his home in the city’s Wadajir district. In the second attack, gunmen in a vehicle intercepted an intelligence officer’s vehicle opened fire in Mogadishu’s Hodon district. Al Shabaab claimed credit for both attacks.[5]

• Residents of Pandangou village encountered unidentified militants on December 22 in Lamu County, Kenya. A villager reported that six militants briefly detained him in a nearby forested area. The militants told the villager to inform Kenyan Defense forces (KDF) that they are still present in the Boni Forest region and will attack soon. It is unclear if the militants are pro-Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) fighters or al Shabaab members because Jaysh Ayman, the militant cell active in the region, may have recently shifted its allegiances from al Shabaab to ISIS.[6]