General Dagvin Anderson, Commander of United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), has warned that Yemen’s Houthi rebels are actively planning to deploy maritime radar surveillance systems into Somalia to monitor international shipping and naval movements along the Somali coastline.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, General Anderson revealed that the radar systems are slated for installation in territories controlled by the terrorist group Al-Shabaab. The move highlights a deepening operational alliance between the Iran-backed Houthis and the al-Qaeda-affiliated militant network, encompassing advanced weapons transfers, military tactics, and unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) technology.

According to AFRICOM, the Houthis have already provided Al-Shabaab with specialized training and high-grade combat equipment—a dynamic Washington views as a grave escalation that threatens to transform Al-Shabaab from a domestic militant force into a formidable transnational threat.

To counter this emerging axis, U.S. officials have convened closed-door briefings with partner nations across the Horn of Africa to share intelligence and coordinate countermeasures against the expanding cross-Gulf of Aden alliance. Concurrently, American forces have initiated targeted counter-terrorism operations aimed at disrupting the financial and logistical networks facilitating collaboration between the two insurgent groups.

Highlighting recent kinetic operations, General Anderson noted that a targeted U.S. airstrike conducted earlier this year—approximately 50 kilometers outside Kismayo—killed a senior Al-Shabaab operative who served as a primary liaison to the Houthis. Intelligence assessments indicate that both organizations are seeking to leverage this strategic pact to expand their revenue streams and project operational influence beyond their respective strongholds in Yemen and Somalia.