Gulf of Aden Security Review - March 10, 2015

Yemen: Iranian deputy foreign minister criticizes President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi; al Houthis attack military camp in Amran; suspected Ansar al Sharia militants assassinate security officer in Hadramawt

Horn of Africa: Somali security forces capture town in Middle Shabelle; Airstrike targets al Shabaab in Lower Shabelle

Yemen Security Brief

• Iran’s deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian issued a statement on March 10 criticizing Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s reemergence in Yemeni politics. Abdollahian accused Hadi of putting Yemen on a path towards civil war and reiterated that Sana’a is Yemen’s capital. The statement was in response to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreeing to hold political negotiations in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. [1]

• Al Houthi militants clashed with Bani Suraym tribesmen and Yemeni military forces in Khamir city, Amran on March 9. The allied tribal and military forces repelled an al Houthi attempt to seize a military camp on the main road between Sa’ada and Sana’a. Three al Houthi militants were wounded in the fighting.[2]

• Suspected Ansar al Sharia militants assassinated a political security officer in al Qatan, Hadramawt on March 10. The militants were riding a motorcycle, which is consistent with past Ansar al Sharia operations.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Somali National Army troops supported by African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops captured the town of Ali Gudud, Middle Shabelle region on March 9. At least three al Shabaab fighters were killed in the attack.[4]

• The governor of Lower Shabelle region stated that an airstrike targeted al Shabaab near the towns of Torato and Ambereso on March 10. It is unclear who conducted the attack.[5]