Gulf of Aden Security Review - April 18, 2013

Yemen: Five AQAP militants killed in drone strike in Wusab al ‘Ali, Dhamar governorate; soldier killed after grenade accidentally detonates in Taiz, Taiz governorate; gunman kills civilian in land dispute in Zaydia district, al Hudaydah;  security forces clash with relatives of slain police officer in al Ma’bar, Dhamar governorate, leaving one dead; gunmen storm the education office in Taiz, Taiz governorate; gunmen attack the home of National Dialogue Conference (NDC) representative in al Hada, Dhamar governorate; six revolutionary detainees released after two years in prison

Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab militant blows himself up in Mogadishu; Djiboutian government announces troop reinforcement for Somalia; Somaliland president meets with British prime minister in London, England

Yemen Security Brief

• Five al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants were killed in a U.S. drone strike in Wusab al ‘Ali, Dhamar governorate on April 17. Among the casualties was Hamid al Radmi (a.k.a. Abu Osama), who was a local AQAP cell leader. Radmi was formerly a police officer who worked for the Yemeni security forces.[1]

• One soldier was killed after a grenade accidentally detonated near the governorate building in Taiz, Taiz governorate on April 17.[2]

• One civilian was killed by an unidentified gunman in a dispute over land in Zaydia district, al Hudaydah on April 18. Local citizens began protesting after the incident, demanding security forces quickly arrest the perpetrator.[3]

• Security forces and relatives of a slain police officer clashed in al Ma’bar, Dhamar governorate on April 17, leaving one dead. The relatives attempted to block a local security building and hospital to demand the arrest of the assailants responsible for the officer’s death, sparking clashes with security forces.  The officer was killed by tribal militants on April 16.[4]

• Gunmen stormed the education office in Taiz, Taiz governorate on April 17, preventing a committee from the Ministry of Education from entering the building.[5]

• Gunmen attacked the home of Ali al Bukhaiti, representative of Ansar Allah at the National Dialogue Conference (NDC), in al Hada, Dhamar governorate on April 17. No one was injured.[6]

• Six men, who were suspects in the June 2011 attack on the al Nahdain mosque inside the presidential compound, were released from the central prison in Sana’a over the past few days.  According to Mohamed al Sa’adi, one of the prisoners, they were subjected to physical and mental abuse during their two years in jail.[7]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• An al Shabaab militant accidentally blew himself up while trying to plant a bomb in Mogadishu on April 18. There were no other casualties from the incident.[8]

• The government of Djibouti announced they will send additional troops into Somalia in order to provide support to Djiboutian troops already in the country. Exact reinforcement numbers have not been released.[9]

• Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud Silanyo met with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London on April 17. During the meeting Prime Minister Cameron urged the Somaliland leader to attend the Somali conference taking place in London in May.[10]