Three people, two Indian nationals and a Pakistani national were killed and at least six other people were injured in drones attack launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the Mussafah Fuel Depot in the capital Abu Dhabi. The drone explosion also started a fire at a construction area at Abu Dhabi airport that briefly disrupted operations at the facility but caused no significant damage. The Houthis military spokesman confirmed that the rebel group had carried the attack using five ballistic missiles and several drones. The spokesman warned that the group could target more facilities in the UAE and warned civilians and foreign companies to stay away from vital installations in the UAE for their own security. The Saudi led coalition, in which the UAE is a key member, is likely to retaliate against Houthis targets in Yemen.

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a teashop near the Nacnac military base in the Wada Jir District of Mogadishu, near the Turkish military barracks, which helps to train Somali troops. At least four people were killed in the attack and 10 others were injured. The al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabaab militant group claimed responsibility.

A suspected kidnapper was killed, and four others arrested after intelligence personnel of the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) of the Taliban government raided the hideout of a kidnapping gang in the Guzara district on outskirts of provincial capital Herat city in the western province of Herat. During the raid, a kidnapped teenager, son of a known local goldsmith, was freed. The group was involved in several armed kidnapping incidents in the province, located some 640 km/ 400 miles west of Kabul. The Taliban-run administration has vowed to crack down on the outlaws to ensure law and order in war-torn Afghanistan. On January 14 security personnel rescued a famous physician and arrested eight people charged with involvement in his kidnapping in Kabul. (xinhuanet.com, 16 January 2022)

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped three Chinese nationals and killed two local staff working on a Sino-Hydro Power Dam in the central state of Niger. The gunmen - thought to be members of a bandit gang who have spread havoc and carried out mass kidnappings – kidnapped the three who were working on a transmission line tower near the village of Gussase. According to the state police spokesman a police party chased the bandits and rescued four of the abductees’ compatriots following a firefight.  A Chinese worker and two local staff were hit by bullets and the Nigerians later died in hospital. (reuters.com, 6 January 2022)

At around 7 pm local time, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the In Box restaurant in the city of Beni in the North Kivu province. At least five people were killed in the attack and 14 were injured, including two local officials. The attack come as Congolese and Ugandan forces have launched a joint operation against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) Islamists militant group that pledged alliance to the Islamic State. Following the attack police officers fired into the air to disperses an angry crowd that block investigators from accessing the scene of the explosion. In June, two explosions took place at Catholic church and at a busy intersection in the city. There were no casualties in the attacks in which the suspected bomber was killed by the second explosion.