Gulf of Aden Security Review - August 29, 2016

Yemen: ISIS detonates SVBIED inside recruitment compound in Aden; Hadi government and al Houthi-Saleh Supreme Political Council announce conditions for peace talks; al Houthi-Saleh representatives meet with the Iraqi Foreign Minister in Baghdad; Hadi-allied forces seize positions in western Taiz City; Saudi-led coalition airstrikes target al Houthi-Saleh positions in Sana’a city; al Houthi-Saleh forces launch missiles at Najran, Saudi Arabia   

Horn of Africa: NISA forces interdict SVBIED in Mogadishu; al Shabaab militants attack SNA troops in Beled Hawo, Gedo region; al Shabaab militants attack government vehicle in Kiunga, Lamu County, Kenya; senior military commander says hundreds of al Shabaab fighters have infiltrated Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• The Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) Wilayat Aden-Abyan claimed a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED) attack inside a recruitment compound for local Popular Committees allied with President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government in Aden city on August 29. The blast killed 54 people and injured 67 others, according to Yemen’s health ministry. ISIS Wilayat Aden-Abyan claimed responsibility for the assassination of a police investigator on August 22, following approximately one month without claimed activity. ISIS last conducted an SVBIED attack of this magnitude in al Mukalla city, Hadramawt governorate in late June.[1]

• The internationally recognized Yemeni government led by President Hadi agreed to begin peace talks with the U.S., Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the UN on August 27. The talks aim to unify the Yemeni government. The Hadi government also called for al Houthi-Saleh forces to observe a ceasefire. The al Houthi-Saleh Supreme Political Council stated on August 28th that it will participate in peace talks if the Saudi-led coalition honors a ceasefire. The Supreme Political Council is a governing body formed on July 26, 2016 by a power-sharing agreement between the al Houthi Ansar Allah party and the General People’s Congress (GPC) party led by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called for both factions to observe a mutually agreed upon ceasefire.[2]

• An al Houthi-Saleh delegation led by Member of Parliament Yahya Badr al Din al Houthi met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al Jaafari on August 29. A pro-al Houthi-Saleh source reported that the delegation discussed Iraqi government support for the Supreme Political Council in Sana’a. The official al Houthi spokesperson and lead negotiator of the delegation, Mohammed Abdul Salam, expressed concern over Saudi-led coalition attacks on Sana’a and entreated al Jaafari to support the Supreme Political Council. Al Jaafari voiced support for the Council.[3]

• Hadi government and allied forces seized positions in al Rubai’i, al Souda’ hill, and Mata village in western Taiz city from al Houthi-Saleh forces on August 29. Hadi government and allied forces renewed their offensive on Taiz city following the collapse of peace talks on August 6.[4]

• Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeted al Houthi-Saleh camps in Sana’a city and its environs on August 29. The Saudi-led coalition struck the First Armored Division camp and a tile factory in Sana’a city and a farm in Bani Al Harith district, northwest Sana’a governorate. Saudi-led coalition airstrikes began targeting Sana’a city for the first time in several months following the collapse of peace talks on August 6.[5]

• Al Houthi-Saleh forces claimed responsibility for launching a number of missiles targeting Saudi military sites in Najran, Jazan, and Asir provinces on August 28. Al Houthi-Saleh forces claimed to strike camps ‘Ein al Thurin, Qiadat al Rohoh, and al Khism, and a gathering of Saudi soldiers in al Ghiwa area in al Jawba in Najran. A missile killed two Saudi soldiers and wounded five in Najran, according to a pro-Hadi government source.[6]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Somali National Intelligence and Security (NISA) forces interdicted a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED) in the Hamarweyne district of Mogadishu on August 28. Al Shabaab is conducting a series of SVBIED attacks on government buildings and civilian attractions throughout Mogadishu.[7]

• Al Shabaab militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting Somali National Army (SNA) troops in Beled Hawo town in Gedo region on August 28. Al Shabaab militants engaged the government forces with small arms fire following the blast. The fighting killed at least two SNA soldiers and three civilians.[8]

• Al Shabaab militants detonated an IED targeting a Somali government vehicle traveling through Kiunga area in Lamu County, Kenya on August 27. Al Shabaab militants opened fire on the vehicle, killing a popular Muslim cleric and wounding a security officer.[9]

• A senior Somali military official said that hundreds of al Shabaab militants have infiltrated Mogadishu to disrupt the upcoming Somali parliamentary and presidential elections. Colonel Ali Yusuf Mo’alin claimed intelligence reports indicate large numbers of al Shabaab militants planning attacks on Mogadishu.[10]