Gulf of Aden Security Review - December 24, 2014

Yemen: Al Houthis clash with Presidential Guard units in Sana’a; AQAP detonates IED targeting al Houthis in Rada’a, central Yemen

Horn of Africa: Suspected al Shabaab militants attack Somali official in Lower Jubba region; unidentified militants assassinate security guard in Kenya’s Coast Province

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Houthi militants and Presidential Guard units clashed in the capital Sana’a on December 24 after al Houthis attempted to close down an area of the capital for a celebration. The clashes lead to a number of al Houthi deaths and the closure by the Presidential Guard of the area.[1]

• Suspected al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting an al Houthi patrol in Qayfa, Rada’a, al Bayda on December 23, killing an unknown number of al Houthis.[2]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Suspected al Shabaab militants shot at the car of former Deputy Mayor of Kismayo, who sustained serious injuries, on December 23.[3]

• Ten unidentified militants disguised as Kenyan police officers shot and killed a security guard at a hotel in Chale Island near Mombasa in Kenya’s Coast Province on December 22.[4]