Gulf of Aden Security Review - July 8, 2014

Yemen: AQAP leader Nasser al Wahayshi praises AQ leader Ayman al Zawahiri in released statement; AQAP releases statement criticizing those who slander jihadi scholars; suspected AQAP militants attack Yemeni military in Abyan; al Houthi militants detonate IEDs in Amran

Horn of Africa: Unidentified gunmen kill former member of Somali parliament in Mogadishu; unidentified assailants raid police camp in Kenya’s Coast Province and attack restaurant in Kenya’s North Eastern Province; Somali security forces conduct security operations in Bay region and Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a statement to YouTube on July 3 in which Nasser al Wahayshi, the leader of AQAP, praises Ayman al Zawahiri, the leader of al Qaeda.[1]

• AQAP’s media arm, al Malahim Media Foundation, released a statement, entitled “Responsibility of the Word,” to Twitter and YouTube on July 5. Within the statement, two AQAP religious officials, Harith bin Ghazi al Nadhari and Ibrahim al Rubaish, criticized Muslims who slander accomplished jihadi scholars.[2]

• Suspected AQAP militants attacked the entrance of a public market in Mahfad, Abyan on July 7, killing two soldiers from the Yemeni 39th Armored Brigade.[3]

• Al Houthi militants detonated improvised explosive devices (IED) in Amran on July 7, destroying al Islah party executive office and houses of several al Islah Party leaders. Separately, the al Houthis clashed with security forces in and around Amran, resulting in Yemeni security forces surrendering their weapons to the al Houthis. The al Houthi’s media arm, Ansaru Allah, released a statement following the attacks claiming that the al Houthis had taken complete control of Amran. [4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Unidentified gunmen killed a former member of Somali parliament, Hassan Bagadi, in the Wadajir district of Mogadishu on July 8. Although no group has yet claimed responsibility, al Shabaab continues to threaten and target Somali government and security personnel in Mogadishu during Ramadan.[5]

• Unidentified assailants raided a Kenyan Police Reservist (KPR) camp, located between Hindi and Mpeketoni, in Lamu County in Kenya’s Coast Province on July 7. The assailants reportedly damaged property in the camp before clashing with KPR officers. Separately, unidentified assailants attacked a restaurant in Wajir in Kenya’s North Eastern Province on July 8. The assailants reportedly threw a grenade into the restaurant before firing upon the building, killing at least one person. No group has yet claimed responsibility for either attack.[6]

• Somali security forces conducted security operations in Baidoa, Bay region on July 7 after receiving information indicating potential attacks in the city. The security forces disrupted activity and transportation in the town, arresting at least twenty suspects and confiscating suspicious vehicles. Separately, Somali security forces conducted security operations along the Makka al Mukarama road in the Hamar Weyne and Waberi districts of Mogadishu on July 8.[7]