By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-01-23

ADEN -- Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the Horn of Africa and the Houthis in Yemen are involved in a complex arms trafficking and smuggling network facilitated by the Iranian regime, a new investigation reveals.

Weapons move from Iran to the Arabian Sea, then via small boats to Somali coasts controlled by al-Shabaab, political analyst Faisal Ahmed told Al-Fassel.

The Somali port of Bosaso serves as a pivotal hub, according to an Akhbar al-Aan investigation published December 12.

Key smuggling routes run through Puntland coastal towns such as Mareero and El Ayo, where small speedboats transport weapons and personnel.

On November 5, Somali forces intercepted part of a weapons shipment to al-Shabaab-controlled areas that included AK-47 rifles, PK machine guns, DShK heavy machine guns, RPG launchers and DJI Phantom drones.

Most of the weapons were Iranian-made, with a smaller percentage from China, Somali intelligence sources told Akhbar al-Aan.

Later in November, authorities apprehended a shipment of 13 drones moving through El Ayo region to the Madow Mountains. Puntland police intercepted two drones, while the remaining 11 reached Beledweyne in central Somalia.

Al-Shabaab has a history of carrying out violent attacks with little regard for civilian lives.

On October 17, an al-Shabaab suicide bomber blew himself up near a police academy in Mogadishu, killing at least seven people, including civilians, and wounding six others, AFP reported.

The assailant walked into a crowd of people enjoying tea under the shade of a tree, before detonating a device, a police statement said.

Iranian tutelage

By hosting al-Qaeda's de facto chief Saif al-Adel, the Iranian regime -- a key backer of the Houthis in Yemen -- has been able to co-opt al-Qaeda affiliates such as al-Shabaab, Ahmed told Al-Fassel.

Though al-Shabaab and the Houthis have very different ideologies, the Iranian regime has been able to subjugate them in service of its own agenda and interests, he said.

The Houthis operate an "external expansion" apparatus aimed at reaching the Horn of Africa with "intensive preparations" under way "under Iranian orders," political analyst Mahmoud al-Taher told Al-Fassel.

The Houthis are sending weapons to al-Shabaab in Somalia, he said, in service of the Iranian regime's bid control this area.

The Houthis and al-Shabaab prioritize "mutual interests" over their divergent ideologies, Abaad Center for Strategic Studies director Abdul Salam Mohammed told Al-Fassel.

The two groups share common interests in "controlling Bab al-Mandeb strait and international navigation in the Red Sea, under Iranian sponsorship," he said.