Gulf of Aden Security Review - June 23, 2011

Yemen: AQAP released biography of former Guantanamo detainee; defected General Ali Mohsen al Ahmar said opposition will fight al Qaeda; U.S. Assistant Secretary of State urges President Ali Abdullah Saleh to transfer power

Horn of Africa: Somali forces shoot and kill man suspected of planting bomb in Mogadishu; a high-ranking al Shabaab official dies from injuries

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) produced a biography of Fahd Saleh Suleiman al Jutayli, also known as Abu Yaqeen al Qassimi, on jihadist forums as part of their “Martyrs of the Arabian Peninsula” series. Jutayli was a Saudi AQAP operative and a former Guantanamo detainee (#177). AQAP spiritual leader Sheikh Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish, also a former Guantanamo detainee (#192), narrated Jutayli’s life. Jutayli was killed on September 15, 2009.[1]

• Defected General Ali Mohsen al Ahmar stated that Yemen’s opposition group would be a better ally to the United States in the fight against al Qaeda than the current regime under President Ali Abdullah Saleh. General Ahmar affirmed his belief that al Qaeda would continue to exist in the Arabian Peninsula if Saleh remained in power. He stated, “We will deal with terrorism as a critical issue. It will fight the terrorists as a matter of life or death. Not for material gain.”[2]

• U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman urged President Saleh to step down and transfer power. "We continue to believe that an immediate, peaceful, and orderly transition is in the best interest of the Yemeni people," Feltman said.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• A man suspected of planting a roadside bomb in Dharkenley district of Mogadishu was shot and killed by government forces.[4]

• A high-ranking al Shabaab official Abdurrahman Diriye Ali was reportedly injured in fighting in Hiraan district in Mogadishu against government forces. Ali later died from his injuries while receiving medical treatment.[5]