Yemen: AQAP conducts several attacks on Southern Transitional Council–backed forces position in Abyan; Houthis launch ballistic missile targeting STC-backed forces in Hajjah
Somalia: Al Shabaab ambushes civilians in northeastern Kenya; al Shabaab attacks contested town in southern Somalia; Somali security forces arrest officers in connection with Mogadishu bombing
Yemen Security Brief
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) fighters attacked a Southern Transitional Council (STC)–backed forces position with machine guns and mortars in Wadi Omran, Mudiyah district, Abyan governorate, on August 1.[i] AQAP fighters also detonated two improvised explosive devices (IED) in separate attacks targeting STC-backed forces in Mudiyah district, Abyan governorate, on July 30 and August 1. [ii]
Houthis launched a ballistic missile from al Jawf governorate targeting STC-backed forces in Haradh front, Hajjah governorate, on July 30.[iii]
Somalia Security Brief
Al Shabaab militants ambushed civilian vehicles traveling along the Garsen-Witu-Lamu Highway near Lango la Simba, Lamu County, on August 1.[iv] The attackers killed two civilians, wounded nine, and kidnapped several others. A nearby Kenyan Defense Forces patrol intervened and forced the militants to retreat.
Al Shabaab attacked a Somali National Army (SNA) base near Goofgudud Buurey, Baidoa district, Bay region, southern Somalia, on July 30.[v] Militants claimed to kill two SNA soldiers and seize control of the base.[vi] The Somali Federal Government reported that SNA forces killed 15 militants, wounded 30 others, and successfully repelled the attack. Control of the Goofgudud Buurey area has changed several times in the past week.[vii]
Somali security forces arrested 14 military officers on July 29 in connection with facilitating the July 24 suicide bombing of the Jaalle Siyad military base in Hodan district, Mogadishu.[viii] A lone al Shabaab suicide bomber killed 30 SNA soldiers and wounded 50 others during that attack.[vii]
[i] SITE Intelligence Group, “AQAP Claims 16 Casualties in Deadly Raid on UAE-Backed STC Position in Abyan”, August 1, 2023, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-Threat-Statements/aqap-claims-16-casualties-in-deadly-raid-on-uae-backed-stc-position-in-abyan.html.
[ii] Al Mashad al Yemeni, ”article title”, August 1, 2023, https://www.almashhad-alyemeni.com/260052.
[iii] Khabar Agency, “The Houthi militia targets the Haradh front in Hajjah with a ballistic missile”, July 30, 2023, https://www.khabaragency.net/news194454.html.
[iv] InteriorKE, Twitter, August 1, 2023, https://twitter.com/InteriorKE/status/1686337922969026560?s=20.
[v] HarunMaruf, Twitter, July 30, 2023, https://twitter.com/HarunMaruf/status/1685700089929465856?s=20.
[vi] SITE Intelligence Group, “Shabaab Reports Continued Battle Over Town in Bay, Somalia”, July 31, 2023, available by subscription at: ent.siteintelgroup.com.
[vii] Ada McKinney and Franklin Zheng, “Gulf of Aden Security Review – July 25, 2023,” Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, July 25, 2023, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-july-25-2023.
[viii] SONNA, “14 Officers Arrested in Connection with Jalle Siyaad Camp Explosion: Deputy Minister of Defense,” July 29, 2023, https://sonna.so/en/14-officers-arrested-in-connection-with-jalle-siyaad-camp-explosion-deputy-minister-of-defense//.