Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Houthis shell three residential neighborhoods in southwestern Yemen; The UN condemns Houthi shelling in Taiz; likely Islah-linked militants launch a rocket targeting a natural gas facility in southern Yemen

Somalia: Somali regional forces claim to thwart al Shabaab offensive; al Shabaab militants enter Ethiopia from central Somalia; al Shabaab detonates IED targeting ATMIS-SNA checkpoint in central Somalia

Yemen Security Brief:

The Houthis shelled three residential neighborhoods near Taiz city, southwestern Yemen, on July 23. The Houthis shelled the Zaid al Mushki neighborhood northeast of Taiz city.[i] The shelling killed one child and wounded 12 others, including 11 children. The same day, the Houthis shelled the al Rawdah and the al Matar al Qadeem neighborhoods near Taiz city.[ii] The shelling of al Rawda killed a child and wounded at least 12 others, among them ten children. It is unclear how many casualties, if any, resulted from the shelling of al Matar al Qadeem.

The UN special envoy to Yemen condemned the Houthi shelling in Taiz city in a statement on July 24.[iii] The special envoy said that he was “alarmed” by the attack and called for a renewal and expansion of the truce.

Suspected Islah-linked militants launched a rocket targeting the Belhaf natural gas facility in Shabwah governorate, southern Yemen, on July 24.[iv] It is unclear if the attack caused any casualties or damage to the facility.

Somalia Security Brief:

The Somali Region security council said on July 24 that the Somali Region paramilitary Liyu police had thwarted the July 20 al Shabaab incursion into southeastern Ethiopia.[v] The security council claimed Liyu forces killed over 100 al Shabaab militants and destroyed 13 vehicles over the three-day battle in the Adfer Zone. Ethiopian officials said the al Shabaab militants were trying to reach the Oromia Region to link with the Oromo Liberation Army.

The Hiraan regional governor claimed that over 200 al Shabaab fighters crossed into Ethiopia near the border town of Ferfer in central Somalia on July 24.[vi]

Al Shabaab detonated an improvised explosive device targeting a Djiboutian African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS)–SNA checkpoint IVO Bulo Burte, Hiraan Region.[vii] The attack killed three soldiers and wounded two to four others.[viii]