Somali Al Shabab Fighters Identified Among Houthi Casualties in Yemen, Military Forces Reveal

Yemen's anti-Houthi National Resistance Forces (NRF) have announced the discovery of bodies belonging to Somali Al Shabab fighters among Houthi casualties on the west coast. This announcement follows reports of rising co-ordination between the Iran-backed group and armed factions located in the Horn of Africa.

According to the NRF's military media, the identities of the fighters were verified through personal documents and belongings recovered from their bodies. This confirmed their affiliation with Al Shabab and signaled a growing alliance between the Iran-backed militia and regional armed groups, the NRF stated.

A recent report by the Century Foundation, a US-based non-partisan think tank, outlines how the Houthis have established smuggling and training networks across the Red Sea into Sudan and the Horn of Africa. These networks have deepened ties with both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Al Shabab, an organization linked to Al Qaeda.

The report revealed that Al Shabab initiated communications with the Houthis in 2024 to secure assistance in acquiring drones, anti-aircraft weapons, and shoulder-fired rockets to defend against aerial attacks, including those by the US. While there is no current evidence that the Somali group has successfully obtained or deployed this advanced weaponry, the discovery of Al Shabab operatives fighting alongside the Houthis in Yemen points to an intensifying relationship.

Furthermore, the Century Foundation report notes that the Houthis' strategy for expansion in the Horn of Africa mirrors the playbook developed over decades by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah.

The NRF, led by Gen Tariq Saleh—the nephew of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh—operates as a coalition of anti-Houthi forces aligned with the internationally recognized government of Yemen. This coalition has engaged in renewed conflict as Houthi attacks on government positions have escalated in recent months, threatening to shatter the fragile truce established four years ago.

Although the UN-mediated truce officially expired months after its adoption in 2022, direct fighting between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces had largely remained subdued until recently. Meanwhile, the Houthis recently resumed their attacks on international shipping within the Bab Al Mandeb strait to show support for Iran.