Gulf of Aden Security Review - April 22, 2015

Yemen: Saudi Arabia announces the end of Operation Decisive Storm; airstrike targets suspected AQAP militants in al Mukalla; al Houthis seize control of 35th Armored Brigade in Taiz; tribesmen clash with al Houthis in Shabwah

Horn of Africa: Suspected terrorist arrested outside president’s home in Central province, Kenya; clan militias clash in Sool region

Yemen Security Brief

• Saudi Arabia announced the end of Operation Decisive Storm on April 21 and the beginning of Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen. Saudi General Ahmed Asiri stated that Operation Decisive Storm had completed its objectives in Yemen by destroying the ballistic missile capabilities of the al Houthi movement and al Houthi-allied military units. Operation Restoring Hope, which began on April 22, will include military, diplomatic, and political fronts and aims to protect citizens and combat terrorism. Yemeni president Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi had reportedly requested an end to Operation Decisive Storm.[1]

• An unidentified airstrike killed five suspected al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) fighters in al Mukalla, Hadramawt on April 21. It is unclear whether the airstrike was from the U.S.[2]

• Al Houthi militants took control of the pro-Hadi 35th Armored Brigade in Taiz city, Taiz on April 22 after a week of ongoing clashes between the two forces. Saudi airstrikes reportedly targeted the al Houthis in Taiz city after the fall of the 35th Armored Brigade.[3]

• Tribal forces clashed with al Houthi militants in Majzar, Shabwah, on April 22. Tribesmen reported that they killed 65 al Houthi militants in the fighting.[4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• A suspected terrorist was arrested outside of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s home in Gatunda, Central province, Kenya on April 21. Police arrested the man for allegedly carrying out surveillance in preparation for an attack on the home.[5]

• Two clan militias clashed in Taleh, Sool region on April 21. The clash left five dead and five wounded. The Puntland administration dispatched traditional elders to the area in an attempt to prevent further violence.[6]