Yemen: Security forces arrest three militants wounded in earlier raid; mediation efforts end clash at al Ayyam’s office in Aden; Yemen opposes foreign troop involvement in fight against al Qaeda
Horn of Africa: Puntland MP killed in Bosasso; the Transitional Federal Government is reportedly importing tanks; Somali MP’s demand payment for past nine months; shelling in Mogadishu kills at least eleven people
Yemen Security Brief
-
Yemeni security forces report that they have arrested three al Qaeda militants who were wounded in an earlier raid. Additionally, the house of the al Qaeda operative, Mohammed al Hanq, who was targeted in the raid, has been surrounded in Arhab.[1]
-
Mediation efforts have ended the situation at the office of al Ayyam newspaper in Crater city in Aden. About thirty people who were inside the office to protest the suspension of the paper turned themselves in to a mediation committee. The committee then turned the people over to the authorities.[2]
-
Yemen’s Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al Qirbi stated that Yemen is opposed to direct intervention in the fight against al Qaeda by any foreign troops. He said that Yemen currently has U.S. military personnel on the ground training Yemeni counterterrorism forces, and that more personnel would be welcomed, but “not in any other capacity.” The U.S. has indicated that it does not seek to have troops on the ground in Yemen, though it will increase other areas of support for Yemen.[3]
Horn of Africa Security Brief
-
An unidentified gunman killed Abdullahi Ali, a member of the local parliament, outside a mosque in Bosasso, Puntland. A witness reported that police arrived on the scene and opened fire.[4]
-
The Transitional Federal Government has imported weapons and tanks into Mogadishu, according to dock workers. Reportedly, a ship carrying the tanks had docked in the Mogadishu port on Monday and Islamist militants fired mortars in its direction.[5]
-
Members of Somalia’s Parliament have demanded to be paid for the past nine months and are claiming that they are unable to afford the cost of attending sessions. Sheikh Adan Madobe, the Speaker of the House, noted that the MPs cannot pay security guards for protection.[6]
-
Heavy shelling in Mogadishu has killed at least eleven people and injured over fourteen others. Witnesses report that the shelling began when government and African Union troops began to shell Hodan district and Bakara market. A bomb also exploded in a playground in Dharkenley district, killing three children.[7]