Gulf of Aden Security Review - April 25, 2014

Yemen: AQAP militants seize hospital in Shabwah governorate; jihadist suggests White House as target for terrorist attack; Yemeni general survives assassination attempt in Sana’a capital; al Houthi members agree to discuss disarmament with President Hadi

Horn of Africa: Kenyan police arrest suspected al Shabaab facilitator in Lamu County; SNA forces clash with Somali NISA forces in Lower Shabelle region; Kenyan police kill suspected al Shabaab militant in Kwale County

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants seized a hospital and two medical centers in Azzan in Shabwah governorate on April 20 following a series of airstrikes on April 19-20 that targeted AQAP training camps in the region. After forcibly evacuating the hospital’s medical staff, AQAP militants brought in a number of “foreign and Arab” doctors to treat their wounded.[1]

• A member of the Ansar al Mujahideen English Forum (AMEF) posted a message on April 23 calling for continued violence against political leaders and encouraging jihadists to, “send the white house a gift” in response to the April 19-21 airstrikes in Yemen.[2]

• Brigadier General Abed Rabo Shaddadi survived an assassination attempt in Sana’a on April 24. One of Shaddadi’s bodyguards was killed in the attack, and several others were wounded.[3]

• Jamal Benomar, UN Special Advisor to Yemen, announced on April 24 that al Houthi members have agreed to enter into discussions with Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi regarding the group’s “disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.”[4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Kenyan police arrested suspected al Shabaab facilitator Ahmed Hanas in Kiunga in Lamu County on April 24. Kenyan intelligence linked Hanas, a Saudi national, to fundraising and recruitment for al Shabaab’s regional network in East Africa. Hanas is believed to have facilitated the transportation of al Shabaab recruits and militants between Kenya and Somalia. A Lamu police official reported that the police also arrested two Kenyan nationals and confiscated a speedboat during the operation.[5]

• Somali National Army (SNA) forces clashed with officers from the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) near Bufow in Lower Shabelle region on April 24. Reports indicate that the NISA officers, under the leadership of Somali military official Gesey Ali Indhole, initiated the confrontation by attacking the SNA forces. The extent of casualties suffered during the fighting remains unclear.[6]

• Kenyan police killed a suspected al Shabaab militant, Radhid Tumbo Kufungwa, during a raid in Diani in Kwale County on April 25. Kufungwa, believed to have trained with al Shabaab in Somalia, was killed after exchanging gunfire with the police. Kenyan police report that Kufungwa was part of a group of suspected al Shabaab militants operating out of TiwiDiani, responsible for harassing civilians travelling along the Diani-Likoni road.[7]