Warno

Operation Anthony Whelan successfully resulted in the rescue of over a dozen IDAP prisoners, and in the capture of Iranian special forces operating in Al Rayak. The capture of these Iranians has given Washington leverage over Tehran; in exchange for releasing the captives to Iran, Tehran has pulled out all their advisors from Yemen. The Houthis and Al Qaeda have lost a significant asset, and are turning to different strategies to influence public opinion back home through extremely high BLUFOR casualties. We know they are building up forces in Al Rayak, but we do not yet know what for.

• Houthis
• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

• 17th Ranger Battalion, US Army
• 160th SOAR

Civilians and civilian infrastructure are present all across the AO. Civilian fishermen may be operating off the target coastline. Rescuing civilians and IDAP personnel has improved the general populace’s opinion towards coalition forces, but we must improve their opinion of us through our actions in this and future operations. All targets must be Positively Identified, and damage to civilian infrastructure must be avoided if possible.

Foreign fighters are moving into Al Rayak, swelling the ranks of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Houthis, and are allowing these groups to replace some of their losses from previous operations with men from places like Chechnya, Somalia, Dagestan, and even Western countries. These fighters appear to sail up from the northern Somali coast and land at multiple places along the southwestern coast of Al Rayak. Intel has identified several possible locations of insurgent activity: Al Furqus, Hamrat, Al Nozha, and the islands around Al Raayan. We expect to verify these locations and maybe find further ones through the course of this mission. It is imperative that we stop the flow of fighters into Yemen because we know the Houthis and AQAP are planning something, and they need all the help they can get.

The 17th Ranger Battalion will search the above areas of interest for insurgent activity, specifically the activity of importing foreign fighters from Somalia. Insurgents are believed to 1) be delivered in small boats to the coast, 2) meet with local contacts, 3) are smuggled into Al Rayak, and 4) then they join up with an insurgent cell. The Rangers will break this cycle through eliminating the insurgents in charge of importation and destroying enemy assets used for transporting and supplying new fighters. Ranger Reconnaissance Company will apprehend or destroy all boats entering their Area Of Responsibility, in addition to assisting Alpha and Echo Companies with seeking and destroying enemy personnel and supplies. All friendly forces are to search for and act on intelligence that leads to either a) finding additional areas that insurgents are operating in or b) getting a fix on an HVT’s location.

1. Search points of interest for insurgent activity.
2. Eliminate or capture all insurgents, gather intelligence, and destroy or recover enemy equipment.

Changes can be requested from Units leads and HHC.