Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: IED kills three al Houthis in al Bayda; al Houthis kidnap soldier in Taiz; al Houthi Popular Committee members assault union president in Hudaydah

Horn of Africa: Second al Shabaab member surrenders to Somali forces in Gedo region

Yemen Security Brief

• Suspected Ansar al Sharia militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED), killing three  al Houthis near Khabza, al Bayda on January 16.[1]

• Al Houthi militants kidnapped a soldier at Taiz airport, Taiz on January 15.  Al Houthi activity in Taiz has prompted protests among the local population demanding the expulsion of the al Houthis from the area.[2]

• Members of the al Houthi Popular Committee in al Hudaydah assaulted the president of the Truckers Union in al Hudaydah city on January 15.The union president had recently condemned the al Houthi takeover of his office.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• A local al Shabaab commander Sheikh Osman Sheikh Mohamed surrendered to Somali security forces in Luq, Gedo region on January 14. Luq’s police chief confirmed Mohamed’s surrender and called on other fighters to do the same. The surrender is the second al Shabaab surrender in Gedo region in one week.[4]