Yemen: suspected AQAP militants attack post office and detonate IED in Hadramawt; suspected AQAP militants capture Yemeni security force patrol in al Bayda; al Houthis clash with Yemeni military and local tribesmen in Sana’a

Horn of Africa: AMISOM and Somali security forces foil suspected SVBIED attack on Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu; al Shabaab militants attack AMISOM and SNA forces in Lower Shabelle region; Djiboutian Foreign Minister announces plan to deploy additional battalion to Somalia under AMISOM

Yemen Security Brief

  • Suspected al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants attacked a post office in Hura, Hadramawt on July 15, killing one Yemeni policeman and stealing approximately $9,000. Separately, suspected AQAP militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) in Shibam, Hadramawt on July 16, destroying an abandoned Yemeni police station.[1]
  • Suspected AQAP militants captured a Yemeni security force patrol near the new central market in al Bayda on July 15.[2]
  • Al Houthi militants clashed with the Yemeni 310th Armored Brigade in Hamdan, Sana’a on July 15, killing two soldiers and wounding three others. Separately, al Houthi militants clashed with local tribesmen in Durwan village in Hamdan, Sana’a on July 16, hours after the Yemeni 310th Armored Brigade withdrew from the area. [3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

  • AMISOM and Somali security forces foiled a suspected suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED) attack on Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu on July 15. The security forces intercepted the vehicle en route to the airport, detaining the driver and safely defusing the explosives within.[4]
  • Al Shabaab militants attacked African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali National Army (SNA) forces near Qoryoley, Lower Shabelle region on July 16. A local administrator reported that al Shabaab suffered significant casualties during the fighting. Separately, al Shabaab militants clashed with locals in Shabeelley, Lower Jubba region on July 15. The fighting, which killed two combatants, broke out after locals refused to pay an al Shabaab tax.[5]
  • Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf announced on July 16 that the Djiboutian military plans to deploy an additional battalion to Somalia under the AMISOM mandate. Youssof stated that the battalion, which will be deployed in two separate installments of approximately 500 troops, is to support Djibouti’s current AMISOM contingent in Hiraan region.[6]

[1] “Militants seize 2m Yemeni rials from post office,” Associated Press, July 16, 2014. Available: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/militants-seize-2m-yemeni-rials-from-post-office-1.1360515
“Recent event: Unidentified gunmen explode security center in Shibam, Hadramawt,” Aden al Ghad, July 16, 2014 [Arabic]. Available: http://adenalghad.net/news/113874/#.U8ZoQFappuY
[2]“Unidentified gunmen capture security patrol in al Bayda,” Yemen Today, July 16, 2014 [Arabic]. Available: http://www.yemen-today.net/DetailsNews.aspx?Id=15001
[3] “Two soldiers killed in al Houthi attack on military site northwest of Sana’a,” al Masdar, July 15, 2014 [Arabic]. Available: http://almasdaronline.com/article/60027
“Houthis blowing up a house in the citizen “Durwan” directorate Hamdan Northwest of Sanaa,” al Masdar, July 16, 2014 [Arabic]. Available: http://almasdaronline.com/article/60057
“One day after the withdrawal of the army from orders them.. Houthis Durwan occupy the city close to the capital,” al Masdar, July 16, 2014 [Arabic]. http://almasdaronline.com/article/60058
“Hamdan, In the task of defending the Yemeni Capital,” Yemen Economist, July 16, 2014 [Arabic]. Available: http://bit.ly/1jQffZG
[4] “SOMALIA: Security forces foil suicide car bomb in Mogadishu,” RBC Radio, July 15, 2014. Available: http://www.raxanreeb.com/2014/07/somalia-security-forces-foil-suicide-car-bomb-in-mogadishu/
[5] “Intense clashes breaks out on Qoryoley periphery,” Shabelle News, July 16, 2014. Available: http://shabelle.net/?p=25639
“Armed confrontations leave 2 dead in Lower Jubba region,” Bar Kulan, July 16, 2014. Available: http://www.bar-kulan.com/2014/07/16/armed-confrontations-leave-2-dead-in-lower-jubba-region/
[6] Paul Richardson, “Djibouti Will Deploy Battalion of Troops to Somalia by Year-End,” Bloomberg, July 16, 2014. Available: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-07-16/djibouti-will-deploy-battalion-of-troops-to-somalia-by-year-end
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