Gulf of Aden Security Review - January 15, 2014

Yemen: Airstrike kills AQAP militant in Hadramawt; gunmen attack GPC leader in Taiz; militants attack police stations in Aden; al Houthis clash with the Hashid tribe in Amran; al Houthis and the Daham tribe reaffirm ceasefire in al Jawf

Horn of Africa: al Shabaab clashes with Somali forces in Middle Shabelle region; local operations clear roadblocks in Lower Shabelle region

Yemen Security Brief

• Yemeni sources confirmed that an airstrike killed an al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militant and wounded two fighters traveling in a vehicle between the towns of Shibam and Sayun in Hadramawt governorate on January 14.[1] 

• Al Islah party gunmen attacked the house of a General People’s Congress (GPC) leader, Abdel Ghani Mansour, in Taiz on January 14. No casualties were reported.[2]

• Gunmen attacked a police station in the city of Aden on January 13, injuring one soldier.  Separately, militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) against another police station in the Dar Saad district of Aden on January 13.[3] 

• Al Houthi fighters clashed with Hashid tribesmen in the al Aisha district of Amran governorate on January 14. An unspecified number of al Houthis were killed and injured.[4]

• Al Houthis and Daham tribesmen signed a ceasefire in al Jawf governorate on January 14. Under the agreement, the two sides will remove their checkpoints and allow the Yemeni army to move into the city.[5]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Al Shabaab militants attacked Somali government and AMISOM facilities located in Mahaday and Buurane towns in the Middle Shabelle region. The militants controlled the towns for several hours before a successful re-liberation effort by government forces. At least ten Somali soldiers were killed and several more were wounded in the clashes.[6] 

• Local government forces cleared five illegal roadblocks in the Marerey district of the Lower Shabelle region. The Marerey district administration indicates that operations to remove roadblocks and expel local militias are ongoing.[7]