Gulf of Aden Security Review - October 13, 2011

Yemen: Fighting occurs in Taiz; Islamic State of Iraq eulogizes Anwar al Awlaki; foreign minister clings to GCC initiative

Horn of Africa: Gunmen kidnap two aid workers from Dadaab refugee camp  

Yemen Security Brief  

• In Taiz, fighting occurred along Jamal Street on October 11. At least one person was killed. Residents report that the level of violence has increased over the past few months.[1]

• Al Qaeda’s Iraq-based affiliate, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), published a eulogy for radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al Awlaki. ISI offered condolences to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) saying, “your affliction is our affliction.”[2]  

• Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al Qirbi met with ambassadors from member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Sana’a. Qirbi voiced his support for the GCC transition deal. He also said that a UN resolution to ending the conflict will only complicate the crisis. Opposition media quoted the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) as saying that, “signing the initiative must be done first before launching any dialogue," in order to end the conflict. Thousands of protesters demonstrated Sana’a and other governorates urging the UN to force President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down from power.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Suspected Somali gunmen hijacked a Doctors Without Borders vehicle in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. The gunmen shot the Kenyan driver in the neck and then fled towards Somalia, kidnapping two Spanish aid workers.  Kenyan police closed the Somali border and have been tracking the vehicle.[4]