Gulf of Aden Security Review - November 8, 2013

Yemen: Al Houthis shell mosque in Damaj, Sa’ada; Yemeni airstrikes in Abyan killed five militants; gunmen kill security officer in Hadramawt; ICRC evacuates injured people from Damaj; Yemeni foreign minister meets with U.S. official

Horn of Africa: Kenya indicates upcoming operations against al Shabaab; Somali forces conducted demining operations in Dhusamareb town, Galgudud region

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Houthis shelled the Dar al Hadith mosque in Damaj, Sa’ada governorate during morning prayers on November 8. The shelling killed two people and wounded six others.[1]

• The Yemeni Ministry of the Interior announced that airstrikes in al Mahfad, Abyan governorate on November 7 killed five al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) members and wounded several others.[2]

• Unknown gunmen riding a motorcycle shot and killed a security officer working at the Sayun airport in Hadramawt governorate on November 8.[3]

• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) evacuated 44 injured people from Damaj, Sa’ada governorate on November 8.[4]

• Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al Qirbi met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs Barbara Leaf on November 8 to discuss the National Dialogue Conference (NDC).[5]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Kenyan AMISOM officials indicated upcoming operations against al Shabaab strongholds in Gedo and Middle and Lower Jubba regions by telling civilians to avoid militant camps and roadblocks, on November 7.[6]

• Somali officials conducted demining operations in Dhusamareb town, Galgudud region following the death of two civilians to a mine, on November 8.[7]