Gulf of Aden Security Review - November 4, 2009

Yemen: Yemeni forces surrounded and attacked al-Houthi positions in the old city of Sa’ada; Saudi border patrolman killed and eleven others wounded in clash with al-Houthi rebels in Saudi territory; Yemeni fisherman died from injuries after a French warship fired on his boat

Horn of Africa: Intelligence sources put al-Qaeda leader, Najeh Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, in Somalia; Hizb al-Islam recaptured strategic town of Beledweyne; Somalis fight pirates who are holding UK couple hostage in central Somalia; workers demonstrate in Mogadishu against port closure; al-Shabaab closes women’s organizations in southern border town

Yemen Security Brief

• The Yemeni army destroyed houses in the Najran neighborhood of the old city of Sa’ada, where al-Houthi rebels have positions.  Before the attack, the army called on loudspeakers for rebels to surrender, giving an ultimatum; however, none came out and according to army sources, no one escaped since the area was surrounded.  Earlier, at least twenty al-Houthi rebels were killed when they attempted a suicide attack on government offices within Sa’ada city.[1]

• The al-Houthi rebellion has spilled over into Saudi territory for the first known time since it began in 2004.  According to Saudi sources, armed men attacked a Saudi border patrol force just across the border from where Yemeni troops have been fighting the al-Houthi rebels.  One border guard was killed in the firefight and eleven others wounded.  A source close to the rebels reported that they had been fired on by the border patrol force and that one of them was killed and another wounded.[2]

• An official source reported that a Yemeni fisherman died from his injuries after a French warship that was part of the EU anti-piracy mission fired at his boat.  The Director of the Fishermen Foundation in Mukalla, Hadramawt, said that the warship shot at the boat and killed two – the other a Somali – and injured at least five other fishermen.  In May, two other Yemeni fishermen were killed in Sudanese waters after being fired on by what was believed to be an anti-piracy patrol.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Intelligence sources from within Somalia report that Najeh Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, an al-Qaeda leader in East Africa who has been described as “one of the most dangerous al-Qaeda leaders in the world,” is fighting with al-Shabaab.  Sources add that Fazul Abdullah might have been in Somalia for years under disguise and it is likely he took over command of al-Qaeda in East Africa after Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan.[4]

• Fighting in Beledweyne, the capital of Hiraan, killed seven people and injured eleven others.  Hizb al-Islam militants attacked Somali forces based on the outskirts of the town, resulting in a firefight on the west side of town.  Government soldiers have confirmed that the strategic town is now under Hizb al-Islam control.[5]

• Residents of Bahdo village in Galgudud in central Somalia have reportedly fought with the Somali pirates holding the kidnapped UK couple, the Chandlers.  Residents of the village were angry that the pirates decided to hold the hostages locally, and when the pirates refused to leave, armed residents attacked the pirates.  Three people were killed, two of which were reported to be pirates, and the remaining pirates fled the town.[6]

• Hundreds of port-workers in Mogadishu demonstrated against the closure of the port, saying that they were dependent on the work.  The dispute between the port administration and businessmen that closed the port is over new regulations requiring that all incoming goods go through security checks. [7]

• In the southern  border town of Balad Hawa, al-Shabaab closed down five humanitarian organizations, much of which were women groups, saying that Muslim women ought to stay at home and care for the family.  Both local and international organizations have been shut down by al-Shabaab, which accused them of spying for western countries.[8]