Gulf of Aden Security Review - December 14, 2015

Yemen: al Houthi-Saleh forces launch rocket at coalition military camp in Dhubab, Taiz governorate; AQAP releases video of former Guantanamo detainee; al Houthi forces claim to launch missiles into Saudi Arabia; Saudi-led coalition conducts airstrikes in Hajjah governorate

Horn of Africa: SNA and AMISOM forces recapture village from pro-ISIS militants in Tulo-Barwaqo, Lower Jubba region;  al Shabaab militants ambush KDF forces in Mandera County, Kenya; pro-ISIS religious leader in Somalia releases audio log condemning al Shabaab’s attacks against pro-ISIS defectors; rival clans clash near Beledweyne, Hiraan region; unidentified gunmen in boats allegedly attack airport in Mogadishu, Banadir region

Yemen Security Brief

• An al Houthi-Saleh rocket strike on a coalition military camp killed dozens of Sudanese, Yemeni, Emirati, and Saudi soldiers, including two high-ranking officers, in Dhubab district in southwestern Taiz governorate on December 14. One of the officers was the commander of Saudi Special Forces in Yemen. The attack also destroyed Saudi military equipment, including at least one Apache helicopter. This rocket strike is the deadliest attack on coalition troops since September.[1]

• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released an audio statement on December 12 by former Guantanamo detainee Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi calling for unity amongst jihadi groups in Yemen and praising the merger between al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and al Murabitoun. AQAP released a video featuring al Qosi last week, marking his first appearance in any media since his release from Guantanamo in 2012.[2]

• Al Houthi-Saleh forces claimed to launch missiles from northern Yemen toward King Khaled Airbase and Jazan Regional Airport in Saudi Arabia on December 13 and 14. These reports are likely untrue because the al Houthis lack an arsenal capable of hitting targets from such a distance. No residents have confirmed the attacks.[3]

• Saudi-led coalition airstrikes killed 19 civilians and wounded nearly 30 others on December 13 in al Hajawara and Qabatiya in Hajjah governorate in northern Yemen. The intended targets are unknown.[4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Somali National Army (SNA) and Interim Jubbaland Administration (IJA) forces recaptured the Lower Jubba region’s Tulo-Barwaqo village on December 13. The village was under the control of pro-Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) militants, who captured it nearly a week ago. The militants reportedly fled when government forces arrived, allowing them to retake the village without conflict.[5]

• Al Shabaab militants ambushed a Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) vehicle on December 13 in Mandera County, Kenya. The vehicle was traveling between Elwak and Lafey towns when it was attacked. The militants killed at least one soldier and wounded two others before they fled the scene and crossed back into Somalia. Al Shabaab claimed to have killed four soldiers and destroyed one vehicle in the attack.[6]

• Abdul Qadir Mumin, a pro-ISIS religious leader from a militant cell operating in the Bari region’s Galgala hills, released an audio log on December 12 denouncing al Shabaab’s anti-ISIS activities. Mumin condemned al Shabaab’s attacks against pro-ISIS defectors and stated that the group was harming the unity of all Muslims. Mumin also called for militants to abandon al Shabaab and join ISIS.[7]

• Clashes between unspecified clan militias began on December 11 in Beledweyne, Hiraan region. Suspected clan militiamen initially attacked a market on December 11, killing an SNA soldier and a civilian. Rival clans reportedly retaliated on December 13 by attacking a nearby village, killing at least eight people, including another SNA soldier. The clashes are ongoing.[8]

• Unidentified gunmen in motor boats allegedly attempted to attack Mogadishu’s Aden Ade Airport on December 13 in the Banadir region. Witnesses reported that African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces successfully repulsed the nighttime attack. An AMISOM spokesperson later said that the defending forces merely fired warning shots at fishermen whose vessels came too close to the airport.[9]