Project Masam’s Special Task Team has been called in to investigate a suspected suicide vest left behind by a terror cell in Al Dhale governorate, in southern Yemen.
The strategic border region – a gateway to Yemen’s south – has been the theatre of war since at least 2015, with moving frontlines emerging between Iran-backed Ansar Allah (known as the Houthis) and allied groups, and pro-government forces and allies up until at least 2022.
On 30 December 2024, local authorities discovered a suspicious vest containing what appeared to be explosives in the region of Al Dhale and sent photographs of the findings to Project Masam’s demining Team 18, which carries out humanitarian landmine clearance in the region.
Team 18 assessed the images and handed the case over to Project Masam’s Special Task Team (STT)’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) operators.
On 31 December, Project Masam’s STT arrived on site and, after examination of the suspected suicide Improvised Explosive Device (IED), successfully neutralised the threat on behalf of the local authorities.
According to a report produced by Project Masam’s EOD experts, the explosive belt consisted of a nylon Cordura vest, a short-range receiver, wiring, metal pipes containing possible explosive substances and a push-button suicide switch.
In IEDs such as this, a built-in receiver allows the suicide bomber’s “handler” to detonate the suicide vest remotely, should the suicide bomber be incapacitated en-route to his/her target, or otherwise fail to detonate the device, according to Project Masam’s IED expert.
Following the render-safe operation, the suspect device was confirmed to be a suicide vest; and the mission was successfully completed with no reported casualties or incidents.
“While it is not usual for Project Masam for deal with IEDs manufactured by the Houthis, or other terror cells operating in Yemen, it is somewhat unusual for us to be called in to investigate and neutralise suicide IEDs,” Project Masam’s Managing Director Ousama Algosaibi explained.
“We work hand-in-hand with local authorities, who trust us as the only clearance organisation capable of dealing with these types of explosive devices. They can rely on our expertise and experience in Yemen to ensure any suspicious item or device is dealt with in the safest, most professional way.”
Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations, such as the Houthis, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), ISIS-Yemen, and Iran-backed terrorist groups, thrive on conflict, and clanism and sectarian strife, with hundreds of attacks conducted against civilian and military targets in the last decade.
Components of the suicide vest after inspection. Credit: Project Masam Special Task Team, Al Dhale Yemen, December 2024
