Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Yemeni security forces strengthen security measures around Western embassies and important government and military buildings in Yemen; Yemeni President Hadi visits Amran; tribesmen clash with Yemeni military in Ma’rib

Horn of Africa: Kenyan Air Force jets conduct airstrike on al Shabaab base in Middle Jubba region; al Shabaab militants attack Somali security forces in Mogadishu and Lower Jubba region; unidentified gunmen kill prominent Somali parliamentarian in Mogadishu; senior al Shabaab official condemns Israeli action in Gaza

Yemen Security Brief

• Anonymous Yemeni security sources reported that Yemeni security forces strengthened their security measures around Western embassies in Sana’a and important government and military buildings in other governorates on July 22, in response to recent reports of an upcoming al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) plot in Yemen.[1]

• Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi visited Amran on July 23 and met with the governor, the Yemeni 9th Brigade commander, and several local council members to discuss development and security opportunities in Amran.[2]

• Al Dammaj tribesmen clashed with the Yemeni 312th Brigade in the Hibab area of Sirwah, Ma’rib on July 23, killing two soldiers and two tribesmen. The clashes erupted when the tribesmen prevented a team of engineers from repairing a damaged oil pipeline in Ma’rib.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Kenyan Air Force jets conducted an airstrike on an al Shabaab base near Jilib, Middle Jubba region on July 22. Al Shabaab militants reportedly fired at the low-flying jets, limiting the airstrike’s effectiveness. Local sources indicate that the airstrike killed at least one person, though the victim’s affiliation is unknown.[4]

• Al Shabaab militants attacked an African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali National Army (SNA) base in the Heliwa district of Mogadishu on July 22. AMISOM and SNA forces repelled the attack, reportedly capturing several al Shabaab militants. Separately, al Shabaab militants attacked a Jubbaland security forces base in Kismayo, Lower Jubba over the night of July 22.  At least four combatants were injured in the confrontation, including one al Shabaab militant. Finally, al Shabaab militants clashed with a local militia near Bulo-Burde, Hiraan region on July 23. The fighting, which killed at least four al Shabaab militants, broke out after locals refused to pay an al Shabaab tax.[5]

• Unidentified gunmen ambushed and killed a prominent Somali parliamentarian and folk singer, Saado Ali Warsame, and her driver in the Hodan district of Mogadishu on July 23. Separately, unidentified gunmen also killed two SNA soldiers in the Hodan district on July 23. No group has yet claimed responsibility for either attack.[6]

• A senior al Shabaab official, identified as Hassan Mohamud Takar, condemned, in a July 22 statement, Israel’s military action against the Palestinians in Gaza. Takar criticized the idleness of Arab countries during the conflict and insisted that jihadists in Lebanon and Syria could defeat the Israelis.[7]