Gulf of Aden Security Review – October 21, 2022

Yemen: The Houthis target oil facilities in Yemen with two explosive drones; Houthis frame drone attack as a “warning strike”; anonymous Houthi sources claim the Houthis reached an agreement with Russia to restrict energy resource exports; AQAP attacks STC-backed forces in Abyan; CENTCOM commander visits US Navy SSBN

Somalia: Turkish-trained special forces clear al Shabaab militants from villages in south-central Somalia; al Shabaab attacks SNA forces throughout Mogadishu; SFG warns companies in the Port of Mogadishu to not pay al Shabaab taxes; Twitter suspends al Shabaab-affiliated accounts

Yemen Security Brief:

The Houthi Movement launched two explosive-laden drones targeting an oil tanker in al Dabba Port, Hadramawt governorate, eastern Yemen, on October 21.[i] The attack did not cause any damage. The Hadramawt governor said the Houthis launched the two drones from the Ma’rib-al Jawf governorate border in northern Yemen.[ii]

The Houthis framed the drone attack on al Dabba Port as a “warning strike” in a statement claiming the attack on October 21.[iii]

Anonymous “private and high-ranking” Houthi sources told Mareb Press on October 21 that the al Dabba Port attack is the result of a Houthi agreement with Russia. The sources claimed the Houthis agreed to prevent oil and gas from leaving Yemeni ports during Houthi-Russian meetings in Moscow in early August.[iv]

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) continued to contest Southern Transitional Council (STC) control of Abyan governorate, southern Yemen. The STC-backed 14^th Thunderbolt Brigade repelled an AQAP attack in Mahfad district, Abyan governorate, on October 20.[v] STC-backed Abyan Security Belt Forces raided an AQAP compound in Wadea district, Abyan governorate, on the same day.[vi]

The commander of US Central Command visited a US Navy nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine in the Arabian Sea on October 19.[vii]

Somalia Security Brief:

Turkish-trained Gorgor special forces cleared several villages in Adale district, Middle Shabelle region, south-central Somalia, on October 20. Somali National Army (SNA) officials claimed that the fighting killed 10 al Shabaab militants.[viii]

Al Shabaab claimed to attack SNA forces multiple times around Mogadishu on October 20.[ix] One of the attacks killed one SNA soldier. Local civilians arrested two al Shabaab militants as they tried to flee that attack.[x]

The Somali Federal Government (SFG) warned companies operating in the Port of Mogadishu on October 20 that it will prosecute anyone paying taxes to al Shabaab.[xi] The SFG has taken several steps to target al Shabaab financial networks since declaring a “financial war”  against al Shabaab on September 30.[xii]

Twitter likely suspended several al Shabaab–affiliated accounts on October 20.[xiii] The move followed the SFG banning of al Shabaab–affiliated media on October 8.[xiv]