Gulf of Aden Security Review - August 31, 2012

Yemen: A Yemeni intelligence agent is gunned down in Sana’a; Yemeni security forces arrest three suspected AQAP operatives in southern Yemen

Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab releases a video claiming it killed 25 AMISOM troops; an explosion at a bus station in Suqa Hoolaha kills three civilians and wounds one soldier; a roadside bomb kills two people in Beledweyne in central Somalia; governor of Mudug, Puntland police chief, and mayor of Galkayo hold a press conference in Galkayo; Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki delivers a speech on religious tolerance in Mombasa; Federal Parliament of Somalia convenes for the first time in Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• A Yemeni intelligence agent was gunned down in the capital city of Sana’a August 30. According to the Yemeni Defense Ministry, an unidentified gunman riding a motorcycle opened fire on the intelligence agent in the Habra district of Sana’a.[1]

• Yemeni security forces arrested two suspected al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operatives August 30 in al Tawahi neighborhood of Aden. The Yemeni Defense Ministry reported that the two suspected operatives were planning attacks on Yemeni security forces. A third suspected AQAP operative was also arrested August 30 in Jaar in Abyan governorate by local tribesmen. Police reportedly found suicide vests rigged with explosives in the operative’s home.[2]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Al Kata’ib Foundation, the media arm of al Shabaab, released a video August 28 depicting al Shabaab forces clashing with AMISOM troops in Hayo village in Lower Jubba region of Somalia. According to the video, al Shabaab killed 25 AMISOM troops and seized several pieces of heavy weaponry. Al Shabaab reportedly lost three fighters in the clashes.[3]

• An explosion at a bus station killed three civilians and injured one soldier August 30 in Suqa Hoolaha, a neighborhood north of Mogadishu. The suspected attackers were able to flee the area before security forces arrived.[4]

• A Somali government official reported August 30 that two people were killed by a roadside bomb in Beledweyne in central Somalia. Deputy Governor of the Hiraan region Ahmad Osman Ahmad reported that all casualties of the bombing were civilians and that al Shabaab is suspected of being behind the attack.[5]

• Governor of Mudug Mohammad Yusuf Jama Tigey, Puntland police chief General Muhayadin Ahmad Nuur, and Galkayo Mayor Saeed Abdi Farrah held a press conference in Galkayo August 30. The topic of the press conference was safety and continued cooperation among governments in order to better protect civilians in Galkayo and neighboring regions.[6]

• Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki delivered a speech on religious tolerance in Mombasa, Kenya August 30. Kenyan police forces were on high alert August 31 in anticipation of protests following Friday prayer at local mosques; however, Kenyan security officials have not reported any incidents of protests or rioting.[7]

• The new Federal Parliament of Somalia met August 30 in Mogadishu to prepare for presidential elections. The meeting was held at a police training academy in Mogadishu under close protection from AMISOM troops. Newly elected Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Osman Jawaari chaired the meeting.[8]