Gulf of Aden Security Review - August 12, 2015

Yemen: U.S. airstrike hits car carrying AQAP militants in Hadramawt; Ansar al Sharia detonates VBIED targeting al Houthis in Shabwah

Horn of Africa: Suspected al Shabaab pamphlets warn Mogadishu residents to avoid SIMAD University

Yemen Security Brief

• A suspected U.S. airstrike hit a car carrying al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants on August 12, killing five. The car was traveling on a road east of al Mukalla, Hadramawt, eastern Yemen, where AQAP has been governing in coordination with local tribes since April of this year.[1]

• Ansar al Sharia militants detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) targeting an al Houthi gathering in Ataq city, Shabwah, southern Yemen on August 12. The explosion reportedly killed dozens of al Houthis.[2]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Al Shabaab has reportedly distributed flyers to Mogadishu residents warning them to stay away from the city’s SIMAD University on August 12, after residents reported hearing a blast near the university overnight. The group similarly released a statement following their July 26 attack on Mogadishu’s Jazeera Palace Hotel warning of future attacks on government instillations and buildings the group believes is holding government offices in the city.[3]