Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Yemen's naval forces repel attack from al Houthi fighters; clashes erupt between Yemeni security forces and Jahm tribesmen; Takeo Mashimo, Japanese engineer, kidnapped from tribesmen by al Qaeda; Yemeni Coast Guard investigating Iranian attack on Yemeni fishermen

Horn of Africa: African Union Troops establish new military base in Mogadishu; new clashes in the town of Kismayo, Jubba region; Al Shabaab fighter's claims to have taken control of the southern town of Afmadow; Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a security forces arrested two men suspected of terrorism; Puntland senior police official was gunned down by unidentified assailants

Yemen Security Brief  

• Yemen's naval forces repelled an attack by al Houthi fighters to seize control of Yemen's Red Sea port of Midi. Midi port sits on the border of Saudi Arabia and has a strategic maritime outlet to the Red Sea.[1] 

• Clashes between Yemeni security forces and Jahm tribesmen in Mar'ib province, 130 km northeast from Sana'a province, erupted on the Sana'a-Mar'ib road, after the Yemeni government refused to return land back to the Jahm tribe. Mohammed Tuaiman, Jahm tribe elder, demanded that the Yemeni Interior of Ministry give back land that was "stolen" from his people and allegedly belongs to them.[2] 

• In a twist of events, Takeo Mashimo, a Japanese engineer, was allegedly kidnapped from tribesmen by al Qaeda members, early Saturday morning. The location of Mr. Mashimo is unknown.[3] 

• The Yemeni Coast Guard is investigating a claim by Yemeni fishermen that an Iranian ship attacked them off the coast of Yemen; the location of the attack is unknown.[4]

  Horn of Africa Security Brief  

• African Union Troops (AMISOM) were seen moving troops, armed vehicles, and supplies into Digfer hospital, in Mogadishu, as a newly established military base. Residents of Hodan district, Banadir region, have expressed concerns over the base and the potential conflict it could bring to the district.[5] 

• Clashes erupted in the town of Kismayo of the Jubba region between al Shabaab fighters and unknown forces; casualties were taken on both sides. Sheik Hassan Ya'qub Ali, spokesman of al Shabaab in Southern Somalia, claimed that the pre-emptive strike was in response to troops amassing in a town bordering Kismayo.[6] 

• Al Shabaab fighters claim to have taken control of the southern town of Afmadow, in Lower Jubba region, without any resistances from Hizb al Islam fighters; however, Hizb al Islam fighters are reportedly regrouping on the town's outskirts. Skirmishes between the two groups have killed 13 people and injured a number of others. [7] 

• Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a security forces arrested two men suspected of terrorism in the district of Guriel, in the Galgudud region. Mohamed Shidane Diriye, Ahlu Suna Security Chief, stated the two men were detained because of their attempts to commit violent acts in the district of Guriel.[8] 

• Abdi Aziz Osman Farah, a senior police official, was gunned down by unidentified assailants in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. It is speculated that the gunmen fled into the town of Qardo, Karkar region. No arrests have been made in relation to the incident.[9]