Gulf of Aden Security Review - July 9, 2014

Yemen: Al Houthi militants cement control over Amran and may have killed commander of 310th Armored Brigade; Yemeni air force strikes al Houthi positions in Amran; Yemeni government holds al Houthis responsible for violence in Amran; IED detonates in al Hudaydah; AQAP gunmen attack Yemeni military in Hadramawt

Horn of Africa: al Shabaab militants conduct complex attack on Somali presidential compound in Mogadishu; unidentified gunmen kill Somali security personnel in Mogadishu; Kenyan security forces conduct security operation in Kenya’s Coast Province

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Houthi militants took complete control of Amran city on July 8. The Yemeni Supreme Security Council confirmed that the militants attacked the base of the 310th Armored Brigade and other military and government facilities in the city, stealing weapons and equipment. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the al Houthis killed the commander of the 310th Armored Brigade, Hamid al Qushaybi.[1]

• The Yemeni Air Force carried out airstrikes on al Houthi positions in Jebel Dhin, Amran on July 9. The air force reportedly bombed the base of the 310th Armored Brigade and the headquarters of the Special Security Forces, which the al Houthis are reported to be controlling. [2]

• The Yemeni Supreme Security Council released a statement holding the al Houthis responsible for breaking the previous Amran ceasefire and demanding that the al Houthis pull out fighters from Amran.[3]

• An improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near the residence of the Security Operations director in al Hudaydah on July 9, killing two children and wounding three others. No group has yet claimed responsibility.[4]

• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants fired mortars at a Yemeni army site in al Qatn, Hadramawt on July 8, resulting in no casualties. Separately, suspected AQAP gunmen, riding on a motorcycle, assassinated a Yemeni military police commander, Colonel Abdo al Soliehi, in Shibam, Hadramawt on July 9.[5]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Al Shabaab militants conducted a complex attack on the Somali presidential compound, known as Villa Somalia, in the Wardhigley district of Mogadishu on July 8. The militants detonated at least one vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) at an entry point near the Prime Minister’s office before assaulting the compound, killing as many as 12 people. AMISOM and Somali security forces eventually repelled attack, reportedly killing three militants.[6]

• Unidentified gunmen killed two Somali security personnel, including a senior officer from the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), in the Hawl Wadag 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.[7]

• Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) and Kenyan police conducted a multi-day security operation, arresting approximately fifty people, throughout the Lamu and Tana River Counties of Coast Province in response to the July 5 raids of Gamba and Hindi. During the operation, the security forces reportedly discovered leaflets, threatening additional attacks, distributed in the area.[8]