Yemen: Tribesmen kill Yemeni soldiers in Hadramawt; gunmen kidnap British teacher in Sana’a; suicide bomber attacks police station in Aden; Southern Movement gunmen attack Yemeni army bases in al Dhaleh; assailants attack electrical power lines in Ma’rib

Horn of Africa: al Shabaab suicide bomber targets UN convoy in Mogadishu; al Shabaab launches mortar rounds throughout Mogadishu; al Shabaab and AMISOM clash in Lower Shabelle region

Yemen Security Brief

  • Hadramawt Tribal Alliance fighters attacked Yemeni soldiers near the Masila oil field in Hadramawt governorate on February 12, killing up to six soldiers.[1]
  • Unidentified gunmen kidnapped a British teacher as he returned home from work in Sana’a city on February 12.[2]
  • In an apparent suicide attack, a Yemeni man detonated a grenade near a police station in al Mualla, Aden governorate, killing himself and wounding two policemen on February 12.[3]
  • Southern Movement gunmen attacked two military bases operated by the 33rd Armored Brigade in al Dhaleh city on February 12. The fighting killed at least two people and injured several others.[4]
  • Unidentified assailants shut down the power station in Ma’rib governorate by attacking the electrical power lines leading to it on February 12.[5]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

  • An al Shabaab spokesman, Abdi Aziz Mus’ab, stated that an al Shabaab suicide bomber is responsible for targeting a United Nations (UN) convoy with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) on February 13. The VBIED, which detonated near Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport, killed at least seven Somalis and wounded fifteen more. A UN official reported that no UN employees were injured in the blast.[6]
  • Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for launching mortar rounds that landed throughout Mogadishu on February 12. Al Shabaab spokesman Abdi Aziz Mus’ab claimed al Shabaab aimed the mortar rounds at the Presidential Palace in Wardhigley district. Casualty and damage figures remain unclear.[7]
  • AMISOM forces clashed with al Shabaab militants near Marka in Lower Shabelle region. The fighting, featuring heavy gunfire and explosions, broke out during an AMISOM security operation in the area. The extent of the casualties is unknown. AMISOM forces also opened fire after a blast occurred near an AMISOM water tank in Marka. One civilian was killed in the gunfire.[8]
[1]  “Armed tribesmen kill six soldiers in Yemen,” Business Standard, February 13, 2014. Available: http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/armed-tribesmen-kill-six-soldiers-in-yemen-114021300097_1.html
“Attacks by gunmen in Hadramawt continue against soldiers guarding oil,” al Watanye, February 12, 2014 [Arabic]. Available: http://www.alwatanye.net/77271.htm
[2] “Security: Yemen gunmen kidnap British teacher,” AFP, February 13, 2014. Available: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/02/13/Security-Yemen-gunmen-kidnap-British-teacher-.html
[3] “Suicide bomber attacks police station in Yemen's Aden, 2 wounded,” Xinhua, February 13, 2014. Available: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=200098
“In Aden, young man discovered covered in his own blood with his feet bound after explosion in al Mualla,” al Masdar Online, February 13, 2014 [Arabic]. Available: http://almasdaronline.com/article/54641
[4]  “Reports of casualties in clashes between the army and al Hirak; explosions shake al Dhaleh city as gunmen attack al Juruba Base and Aboud Base,” Akhbaralyom, February 13, 2014 [Arabic]. Available: http://www.akhbaralyom.net/news_details.php?lng=arabic&sid=76248
[5] “Seventh attack on electrical power lines in less than two weeks,” 26 September, February 13, 2014 [Arabic]. Available: http://26sep.net/news_details.php?lng=arabic&sid=100364
[6] Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar, “Al Shabaab car bomb hits U.N. convoy, killing seven Somalis,” Reuters, February 13, 2014. Available: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/13/us-somalia-blast-idUSBREA1C0H820140213
“Bomb explodes near airport in Somali capital,” al Jazeera, February 13, 2014. Available: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/02/bomb-explodes-near-airport-somalia-capital-201421310592324646.html
“SOMALIA: Al-Shabaab claims the responsibility of today’s blast near the Adden adde International Airport,” RBC Radio, February 13, 2014. Available: http://www.raxanreeb.com/2014/02/somalia-al-shabab-claims-the-responsibility-of-todays-blast-near-the-adden-adde-international-airport/
[7]Mohammed Tawfeeq and Omar Nor, “Mortar fire rains down on Mogadishu,” CNN, February 12, 2014. Available: http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/12/world/africa/somalia-mortar-attacks/index.html?iref=allsearch
 “Bomb explodes near airport in Somali capital,” al Jazeera, February 13, 2014. Available: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/02/bomb-explodes-near-airport-somalia-capital-201421310592324646.html
[8] “Confrontations and heavy blasts occur in Marka town,” Shabelle News, February 13, 2014. Available: http://shabelle.net/?p=13937
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