Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Al Houthis give deadline to solve political crisis; Ansar al Sharia performs complex assault on military positions in al Bayda; suspected U.S. airstrike kills three in Shabwah; airstrike in al Bayda targets Ansar al Sharia

Horn of Africa: Airstrike kills 30-45 al Shabaab militants in Lower Shabelle region; SNA forces capture al Shabaab commander in Gedo region; Jubaland forces arrest al Shabaab members in southern Somalia

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Houthi militants gave Yemen’s political parties three days to solve the current political crisis. The ultimatum came after a weekend-long political and tribal meeting in the capital Sana’a. UN-brokered negotiations between the al Houthis and Yemen’s main political parties have reportedly resumed.[1]

• Ansar al Sharia carried out coordinated attacks in al Bayda city, al Bayda on February 1. The militants launched attacks on a military encampment in the city, assaulted the home of a general, and attacked a Political Security Organization (PSO) officer. Ansar al Sharia militants simultaneously clashed with the 117th Infantry Brigade outside of al Bayda city. Three soldiers and four Ansar al Sharia militants were reported killed.[2]

• A suspected U.S. airstrike targeted an Ansar al Sharia convoy on January 31 in al Said, Shabwah in southern Yemen. A reported three militants died in the strike.[3]

• An airstrike targeted suspected Ansar al Sharia militants on February 2 in Masawrah, al Bayda. The strike successfully destroyed the vehicle it targeted. It is unclear if the airstrike was a U.S. airstrike or carried out by the Yemeni Air Force.[4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• An airstrike killed an estimated 30-45 al Shabaab militants on February 1 in Dugule, Lower Shabelle region, southern Somalia. Local Somali officials stated that three missiles hit an al Shabaab training camp and a building holding foreign al Shabaab fighters. It is unclear whether the strike was carried out by the U.S. or African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces.[5]

• Somali National Army (SNA) forces captured an unidentified al Shabaab commander in Gedo region, southwestern Somalia on February 1.[6]

• Jubaland security forces arrested an estimated ten suspected al Shabaab members on February 1 during security operations in Kismayo, southern Somalia.[7]