Gulf of Aden Security Review - June 20, 2014

Yemen: AQAP releases biography of deceased AQAP deputy leader to YouTube; family members of AQAP leader kill AQAP leader in Abyan; al Houthi militants clash with al Islah party tribesmen in Sana’a; Yemeni military conducts airstrikes on al Houthi weapon store in Amran; unidentified gunmen attack Yemeni military in Aden

Horn of Africa: Kenyan police kill five suspected of involvement in June 15 World Cup attack; unidentified assailants attack police station in Mudgu region; unidentified assailants kill Somali Federal Government official; U.S. announces withdrawing some embassy staff from Kenya

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) media arm, al Malahem Media Foundation, released a biography of deceased AQAP deputy leader, Said al Shihri, to YouTube on June 19.[1]

• Family members of AQAP leader, Ali Alawai al Burkani Ali, opened fire on al Burkani in Thera, Abyan on June 20, killing the AQAP leader. Tribal sources reported that family members took revenge on al Burkani after he assassinated his brother in Lawder, Abyan on June 20.[2]

• Al Houthi militants clashed with al Islah Party tribesmen near Matnah city in Bani Matar, Sana’a on June 19. Separately, al Houthi militants clashed with al Islah Party tribesmen in al Dhafir in Bani Matar, Sana’a on June 19, killing two villagers.[3]

• The Yemeni military conducted airstrikes on an al Houthi weapon store in Iyal Surayh, Amran on June 20.[4]

• Unidentified gunmen attacked Yemeni Special Forces at the 20th military camp in Sirah, Aden on June 19, resulting in no casualties.[5]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Kenyan police forces killed five people suspected of involvement in the June 15 attack on a World Cup viewing party in Kenya’s Coast Province. The Kenyan forces shot the five suspects on June 19 in Mpeketoni. In addition, the Kenyan forces detained additional suspects associated with the attack.[6]

• Unidentified assailants attacked a police station in Galkayo, capital of the north-central Mudug region, with unknown explosive devices on June 20. Police have arrested an unspecified number of assailants believed responsible for the attack. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Separately, three unidentified assailants killed a Somali Federal Government official, Ali Salah, outside his house in Eel-Adde in Gedo region on June 20. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.[7]

• The United States announced on June 19 that because of the June 15 attacks in Kenya, it will be removing some of its diplomatic staff from Kenya and has forbidden embassy staff from travelling to the Indian Ocean coastline. The U.S. State Department says it continues to receive information regarding possible attacks on U.S. interests in Kenya.[8]