Gulf of Aden Security Review - June 12, 2013

Yemen: Armed men kidnap teachers north of Sana’a; security forces seize explosive materials in al Hudaydah governorate; police arrest suspected AQAP members in Aden; power lines attacked in Ma’rib

Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab attacks a Somali and AMISOM base outside Baidoa, Bay region; al Shabaab attacks Somali and AMISOM bases at the Jowhar airport, Middle Shabelle region; unknown attackers ambush civilian vehicle in Mandera County, Kenya; unknown gunmen kill teenager outside his home in Yaqshid district, Mogadishu; al Shabaab militants defect in Garbaharey, Gedo region; al Shabaab demands taxes from residents in Barawe and Bulo Mareer, Lower Shabelle region; Kenyan police investigate al Shabaab recruitment in Mwingi, Kenya; Somali president meets with EU delegation in Mogadishu; Somali defense minister threatens those helping al Shabaab militants

Yemen Security Brief

• Armed men kidnapped four teachers from University of Sana’a in Furdat Nihm, Sana’a governorate on June 12. They were on their way to the College of Education in Ma’rib.[1]

• Security forces at a checkpoint in al Sukhnah, al Hudaydah governorate captured a man transporting bomb-making materials by car on June 11. He said the materials were intended for individuals in Dhamar and then Sana’a.[2]

• Police arrested two alleged al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) members in Aden governorate on June 11. The terrorists were plotting attacks on military and security targets.[3]

• Vandals attacked the Ma’rib-Sana’a power lines in Jaradan for the third time in 24 hours on June 11. Ministry of Energy officials suspected the sons of Saleh bin Hamad Jaradan were behind the attacks.[4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Al Shabaab militants attacked a Somali and AMISOM base outside Baidoa, Bay region on June 12. Both sides reportedly used heavy artillery in the fight, but casualties from the incident are not yet known.[5]

• Al Shabaab militants attacked Somali and AMISOM positions at the Jowhar airport, Middle Shabelle region in June 11. The number of casualties from the fighting has not been reported.[6]

• Unknown attackers ambushed a vehicle in Mandera County, Kenya on June 11. Four people were killed and seven others are reported missing. The reason behind the attack is not known.[7]

• Unknown gunmen killed a teenager outside his home in the Yaqshid district of Mogadishu on June 12. The shooters were able to flee the scene and the reason behind the attack is not known.[8]

• Three al Shabaab militants defected and turned themselves in to Ahlu Sunna wa al Jama’a militia members in Garbaharey, Gedo region on June 12.[9]

• Al Shabaab militants demanded high taxes from clans living in Barawe, Lower Shabelle region on June 12. The clans were given 10 days to give the money to al Shabaab. Similarly, businessmen in Bulo Mareer, Lower Shabelle region were ordered to pay taxes to the group.[10]

• Kenyan police are investigating around 20 individuals whom they believe to be linked to al Shabaab recruitment in Mwingi, Kenya. Some of these suspects are local businessmen and clerics.[11]

• Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with a European Union delegation in Mogadishu on June 12.[12]

• Somali Interior Minister Abdikarin Hussein Guled threatened, during a speech in Mogadishu on June 12, that any person harboring or aiding an al Shabaab militant would be shown no leniency and would be treated as an al Shabaab member.[13]