Gulf of Aden Security Review - July 1, 2013

Yemen: Soldiers cut off road in Sana’a; al Ahmar militias attack police in al Hasaba; AQAP releases kidnapped soldier in Hadramawt; saboteurs attack power lines in Ma’rib; Saudi border guards arrest smugglers; two IEDs found in al Hudaydah; tribesmen hijack bus in Rada’a, al Bayda; GPC protests against Mohamed Morsi; militants blow up pipeline in Ma’rib; security forces find IED in Sana’a; gunmen shoot police officer in Sana’a; tribal clashes in Taiz; U.S. Department of State allocates money for NDC; tribesmen and security forces clash in al Bayda

Horn of Africa: Clashes occur between Ras Kamboni fighters and forces loyal to Barre Hirale in Kismayo, Lower Jubba region; Kenyan Defense Forces arrest three Somali military leaders in Kismayo, Lower Jubba region; Somali government asks for the removal of Kenyan troops from Kismayo, Lower Jubba region; Kenyan planes bomb Somali base in Berhane, Lower Jubba region; Hassan Dahir Aweys escorted to Mogadishu; al Shabaab tweets about recent infighting; unknown gunmen attack town in Mandera county, Kenya; Somaliland troops take Tukaraq, Sool region; President Obama travels to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Yemen Security Brief

• Hundreds of soldiers from the First Armored Division cut off 60th street in Sana’a on June 30.[1]

• Men from the al Ahmar militias attacked a police station in al Hasaba, Sana’a city on June 30. The attack wounded one officer and several soldiers.[2]

• Yemeni Security Services said that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a captured soldier in Hadramawt after tribal mediation on July 1. The soldier was captured three months ago.[3]

• Saboteurs attacked the power lines in al Damashqa, Ma’rib governorate on July 1, causing the Ma’rib gas station to go out of service.[4]

• Two Saudi border guards were injured while arresting weapons smugglers from Yemen on July 1. They discovered a shipment containing six machine guns, twenty Kalashnikovs, ten pistols and 20,000 rounds of ammunition.[5]

• Security forces found two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the road to the al Hudaydah naval base during training exercises on July 1. Bomb disposal experts disarmed the devices and are investigating who is responsible.[6]

• Armed tribesmen hijacked a bus in Rada’a, al Bayda governorate on July 1. Sources within the bus company said that the gunmen demanded money from the owner.[7]

• Several General People’s Congress (GCP) Party leaders participated in protests against Mohammad Morsi in Cairo, Egypt on June 30. They expressed their opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood in any country.[8]

• Militants blew up an oil pipeline in Sirwah, Ma’rib governorate on June 30. The bombing injured one person who attempted to stop the attack.[9]

• Security forces defused a 7kg IED located behind the Mothers and Children Center in Sana’a on June 30.[10]

• Armed gunmen from the Adahab family shot a police officer outside the Baghdad street station in Sana’a on June 29.[11]

• Two died and four were wounded in a tribal clash in Osifrah, Taiz governorate on June 29. Masked gunmen on motorcycles also wounded two people on June 29 at the fish market in Cairo district, Taiz city.[12]

• The U.S. Department of State agreed to allocate $10.4 million to the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) following a meeting between the Yemeni Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Mothana and the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf on June 28.[13]

• Clashes between tribesmen and Special Forces in Rada’a, al Bayda governorate killed 4 on June 28. The clashes broke out because security forces detained a tribesman’s car on June 27 and would not return it even when presented with ownership documents.[14]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Heavy fighting occurred between Ras Kamboni forces and fighters loyal to Barre Hirale in Kismayo, Lower Jubba region on June 28 and 29. The Ras Kamboni militia defeated Hirale’s troops and forced them into surrounding villages. Several sources reported that Kenyan Defense Forces fought alongside the Ras Kamboni fighters. Some sources reported at least nine killed, others said as many as 50.[15]

• Kenyan forces arrested three Somali military leaders in Kismayo, Lower Jubba region on June 28. The three Somali commanders were asked to attend a security meeting at the Kismayo airport where they were immediately arrested. The three men were transported to Wajir, Kenya and put in jail.[16]

• The Somali government called for the removal of Kenyan forces from Kismayo, Lower Jubba region in response to the Kenyan Army’s role in the recent clashes and their arrest of three Somali military commanders. The Somali government is asking for a “more neutral Army” to take the place of the Kenyan Defense Forces.[17]

• A single source reported that Kenyan planes bombed a Somali military base in Berhane, Lower Jubba region on June 30. The bombing reportedly took out the bases and caused several casualties.[18]

• Former al Shabaab leader Hassan Dahir Aweys allowed the Somali government to escort him to Mogadishu for questioning on June 29. Officials traveling with Aweys said that the Somali government will not grant Aweys amnesty as it had said it would.[19]

• Al Shabaab released a series of tweets on June 30 addressing reports of infighting and deaths of senior al Shabaab leaders. The tweets said that al Shabaab is united.[20]

• Unknown gunmen attacked a town in northern Mandera county, Kenya on June 28. Four civilians were killed and five were injured in what is believed to be clan-related violence.[21]

• Somaliland forces took Tukaraq, Sool region from Puntland troops on June 30. Casualties from the fighting are not known.[22]

• President Barack Obama and his family traveled to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on July 1 as part of a tour of several African nations. President Obama will meet with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete during his stay.[23]