Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: AQAP leader calls for fighters to tolerate different views to build up popular support; AQAP attacks al Houthi shopping center; Yemeni military bombs AQAP bases in Abyan; pro-government and al Houthi protestors demonstrate throughout Yemen; Southern Freedom Brigades release statement claiming credit for operation in Hadramawt

Horn of Africa: U.S. Department of Defense announces al Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane died in a September 1 U.S. military operation in Somalia; AMISOM and Somali National Army forces raid al Shabaab camp in Galgudud region

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) media arm, al Malahem Media Foundation, released a video statement on September 4 featuring AQAP's leader Nasser al Wahayshi urging AQAP fighters to tolerate different views in controlled areas in order to build up popular support among the population. Separately, AQAP announced the capture of a senior Yemeni military officer, allegedly responsible for several drone strikes in Yemen.[1]

• Suspected AQAP militants detonated improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Rada'a, al Bayda on September 4, damaging an al Houthi-linked shopping center.[2]

• Yemeni 111th Mechanized Brigade tanks and soldiers shelled AQAP locations in Ahwar, Abyan on September 4, destroying an unspecified number of vehicles.[3]

• Thousands of Yemeni citizens demonstrated in Sana’a, Ibb, and Taiz on September 5, expressing solidarity with the Yemeni government and calling for an end to the escalating al Houthi protests. Al Houthis held a rival rally near the Sana’a airport on September 5, calling for the dismissal of the Yemeni government.[4]

• The Southern Freedom Brigades, a militant group allegedly linked to the Southern Movement, claimed credit for an IED explosion near the Yemeni Economic Corp office in al Mukalla, Hadramawt on September 4.[5]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby announced on September 5 that al Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, also known as Mukhtar Abu Zubair, died in a September 1 U.S. Special Operations Forces airstrike on an al Shabaab compound in Lower Shabelle region. The White House Office of the Press Secretary also issued a statement on September 5 lauding Godane’s death as a critical step in diminishing the threat posed by al Shabaab and reiterating the U.S.’s continued commitment to supporting its regional counterterrorism partners.[6]

• African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali National Army (SNA) forces raided an al Shabaab camp near Elbur, Galgadud region on September 4. The AMISOM and SNA forces killed two al Shabaab militants and rescued one hostage during the operation. Separately, AMISOM and SNA forces seized Bulo Marer, Lower Shabelle after clashes with al Shabaab militants on September 4.[7]