Gulf of Aden Security Review - November 2, 2009

Yemen: Al-Houthi rebels gain control of a Yemeni-Saudi border-crossing and government airstrikes hit Razeh district in northern Yemen; al-Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of aiding Yemeni forces and threaten retaliation; clashes between Islamists and security forces in Ja’ar in Abyan province kill soldier following arrest of Saeed Mohammad Munasar; Islamists attempt to free Fikri Ammorah in Ja’ar in Abyan province and hold the Deputy Governor of Abyan hostage; two journalists sentenced for libel

Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab forms new wing to target Israel; roadside bombs kill a senior security official for Somaliland in contested Lascanood in Sool region; at least five high-ranking officials from the Sool administration died after hitting a landmine; in Beledweyne, three militants died while planting a roadside bomb and government troops claim to have recaptured the town

Yemen Security Brief

• Al-Houthi rebels have gained control of the Hebra border-crossing in Razeh district.  Yemeni government soldiers reportedly fled into Saudi Arabia and to the Haradh crossing.  An al-Houthi spokesman also reported government airstrikes within the district that have killed at least thirty-one and injured around twenty.  He added that the rebels could facilitate media-access to the district to report on what he termed as war-crimes committed by the government.  Thursday, a misdirected strike killed fifteen civilians, the third incident since the beginning of the government’s offensive.  Officials have refused to comment on either account; however, official reports state that many rebels were killed and arrested by government troops in Sa’ada and Amran province.[1]

• Al-Houthi rebels have accused Saudi Arabia of allowing Yemeni government forces to use Saudi territory from which to launch attacks on rebel positions.  In an emailed statement to the AFP, the rebels advised Saudi Arabia to remain impartial or face retaliation.[2]

• In Ja’ar in Abyan province, a soldier was killed and a man wounded when Islamists from Jama’at al-Jihad attacked government buildings.  The attack occurred after security forces arrested Saeed Mohammed Munasar, accused of serial killings, highway robbery, and attacking security forces, in the town.  It is unclear whether any of the Islamists have al-Qaeda connections.[3]

• Security forces and Islamist militants exchanged gunfire in Khanfar district in Abyan province on Saturday, killing one soldier and wounding two others.  This followed the arrest of Fikri Ammorah, a member of the Jama’at al-Jihad in Ja’ar.  Amir Sami Dyan led the offensive in Ja’ar in an attempt to free Ammorah, according to a local source.  Ammorah was one of fifty jihadists pardoned and released from the political security prisons during Ramadan.  Islamists have kidnapped the Deputy Governor of Abyan province, Adel Hamoud al-Sabri, and reportedly taken him to the Yafa’a district of Lahij province.[4]

• A special Yemeni court set up six months ago to try members of the press gave Samir Jibran a one-year suspended sentence and banned him from running the al-Masdar newspaper for a year and gave Munir al-Marawi a two-year sentence and banned him from journalism for life.  The two were found guilty of libel after they published articles critical of the government’s actions against the al-Houthi rebels.[5]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Al-Shabaab has threatened Israel and has established a new wing, “Mujahedin al-Aqsa,” which will specifically target Israel.  Rashid Abdi, a spokesman for the International Conflict Group, said that the capacity of al-Shabaab should not be underestimated and that the group is in the process of transitioning from a nationalist group to an organization similar to al-Qaeda.[6]

• Two remote-controlled roadside bombs exploded Sunday in Lascanood, the capital of Sool region, which is contested by both Somaliland and Puntland.  The first one went off, and when senior security official for Somaliland, Osman Yusuf, went to investigate, the second went off.  Yusuf, along with five of his body guards died from the blast, and nearby civilians were injured.  No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, but it comes just days after threats from al-Shabaab.[7]

• At least five high commanders within the Sool Administration were killed by a landmine, including the head of Sool’s army, Colonel Af-dillo.  No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.[8]

• At least three people died in an explosion in Beledweyne, the capital of Hiraan region in central Somalia.  Reports say that the three were planting the explosive device, frequently used by Islamists to target government forces, along the roadside.   Yussuf Ahmed Hagar Dabaged, former TFG regional commission of Hiraan, stated that government troops had control of Beledweyne.  He also added that it has been publicly announced that the TFG would apply Shari’a in the country.  Militants from Hizb al-Islam say that they will reorganize and recapture the town.[9]