Gulf of Aden Security Review - July 07, 2015

Yemen: Saudi Arabian-led coalition airstrikes kill most in a single day since beginning of campaign; local popular resistance fighters retake territory from al Houthis in Lahij governorate

Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab militants kill 14 people in attack in Mandera County; al Shabaab conducts two attacks in Mogadishu; soldiers open fire after grenade explosion in Bay region

Yemen Security Brief

• Saudi Arabian-led coalition airstrikes were reported to have killed at least 176 people during airstrikes in Aden, Amran, Ma’rib, and Lahij governorates on July 6. These are the highest reported casualty rates for a single day of airstrikes since the beginning of the Saudi Arabian-led air campaign in March.[1] 

• Local popular resistance fighters retook control of a strategic position along the road in Radfan district in Lahij governorate after prolonged fighting with the al Houthi movement. The fighters now control the cement factory, which overlooks the road leading to al Anad.[2] 

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Al Shabaab claimed an attack in Soko Mbuzi, Mandera County, which killed 14 Christian Kenyan quarry workers and injured another 11. The group’s militants pelted the camp with grenades and shot anyone who attempted to flee.[3]

• Local reporting indicates that al Shabaab militants conducted attacks in Mogadishu on July 6. The group reportedly seized the Suqa Hoolaha area of Mogadishu’s Heliwa district and opened gunfire on the Jalle Siad military academy.[4]

• Conflicting reports indicate that dozens were injured after a man dressed in a military uniform threw a grenade into a public space in Baidoa, Bay region. Soldiers stationed nearby opened fire after the detonation, killing four bystanders. The suspect has been detained.[5]