Gulf of Aden Security Review - December 5, 2014

Yemen: Ansar al Sharia robs military convoy in Ma’rib; Ansar al Sharia targets al Houthis in al Bayda; unidentified militants sabotage oil pipeline in Shabwah

Horn of Africa: Kenyan warplane crashes in Lower Jubba region; Al Shabaab releases video of a raid in Bay region and issues statements claiming attacks in Lower Jubba region and Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• Ansar al Sharia militants attacked a convoy belonging the 14th Armored Brigade on December 5 near the Safir oil refinery in Ma’rib, east of Sana’a. Militants reportedly stole an estimated $20,000 from the convoy along with weapons and one vehicle. Ansar al Sharia later claimed credit for the attack.[1] 

• Ansar al Sharia detonated a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) targeting an al Houthi convoy on December 4 in al Manaseh, Rada’a, Yemen. The IED killed seven al Houthi fighters.[2]

• Unidentified militants blew up a section of an oil pipeline on December 4 in Jardan, Shabwah in southern Yemen. The explosion failed to disrupt the oil flow. It is unclear whether local tribes are responsible for the attack.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• A Kenyan warplane crashed near Kismayo, Lower Jubba region on December 4 due to alleged mechanical failure, according to Kenyan officials. Al Shabaab claims to have shot down the plane with a missile, although militants have not clearly demonstrated the capability to take down an aircraft in the past.[4]

• Al Shabaab’s media arm, al Kataib Foundation, released video footage on December 4 depicting al Shabaab militants capturing Deynunay Villlage, Bay region on December 3 and warning civilians about supporting the opposition. Separately, al Shabaab military spokesman Abdul Aziz Abu Musab claimed the group’s the December 4 attack on a Somali member of parliament. [5]