Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Al Houthi rebels blamed for 11 deaths in government convoy ambush, deny accusations; President Obama praises Saleh for anti-terror fight in phone call; government detains 19 suspected al Qaeda militants

Horn of Africa: Obama Administration pledges increased aid to AMISOM; Kenyan security officials arrest al Shabaab suspect trying to cross border; Ugandan security officials arrest 5 more suspects; FBI obtains suspects’ heads from Kampala mortuary; Kenyan police arrest 102 illegal Somali immigrants in crack down; Ahlu Sunna wa al Jama’a imposes curfew in Dhusa Mareb; clan elders in Sanaag region endorse Puntland attacks on Islamist rebels  

Yemen Security Brief  

• The government accused al Houthi rebels Thursday of killing 11 people, including three policemen, in an ambush of a convoy that threatens the fragile truce between the two sides.  The convoy was carrying food to state forces in the northern part of the country.The rebels have denied the accusations and insist that the incident was a clash between opposing tribes.[1]

• U.S. President Obama praised Yemeni President Saleh for his counterterrorism efforts Thursday during a phone call to discuss international security assistance to Yemen and the continuing threat posed by AQAP.[2]

• Interior Minister Mutahar al Masri announced Thursday that authorities had detained 19 al Qaeda suspects in Ma’rib and turned 11 others over to interrogators.  Two of the suspects were handed over to authorities by local tribes, who also reportedly completed a cooperative effort with the government to place a security cordon around Ma’rib and Jawf provinces in order to reduce attacks.[3]

• The Obama Administration pledged to increase support to the African Union and its AMISOM troops in the wake of Sunday’s Uganda bombings by al Shabaab militants.[4]

• Kenyan security officials arrested a second man in connection with Sunday’s attacks in Kampala. Authorities do not know the suspect’s nationality, but they suspect he is a member of al Shabaab. The man, who claimed he is a Ugandan soldier, attempted to cross the Kenya-Somalia border when police nabbed him at a checkpoint.[5]

• Ugandan security officials arrested five more suspects in Kampala, raising the total number of men in custody to 12. The suspects are a mix of Ethiopians, Eritreans, and Somalis.[6]

• FBI agents obtained from a Ugandan mortuary the severed heads of two men suspected of executing suicide attacks in Kampala. Ugandan police confirmed that one of the two blasts was a suicide bomb, and are still trying to determine the cause of the second.[7]

• Ugandan police arrested two reporters from the Shabelle Media Network in Kampala for unknown reasons.[8]

• Kenyan police arrested 102 illegal Somali immigrants in Nairobi during a major operation to crack down on illegal immigrants in the wake of the attacks in Uganda.[9]

• Ahlu Sunna wa al Jama’a imposed a curfew in Dhusa Mareb and required all residents to register their arms with the local administration.[10]

• Clan elders in Dhahar in Sanaag province issued a decree supporting Puntland’s military efforts against Islamist militants in the Galgala hills. The clan-based rebels are suspected of connections to al Shabaab.[11]