By Nasser Arrabyee, 24/05/2012
The suicide bombing that killed and injured about 400 soldiers last Monday was only a part of a wider plan to target military and security officials and installations, said security sources Thursday.
The terrorist plan aimed to retaliate for the ongoing troops attacks on Al Qaeda strongholds in Abyan and drones and airstrikes that killed their leaders such Fahd Al Qusu and Mohammed Saeed Al Omda, the sources said.
Meanwhile, the ministry of interior confirmed previous reports that the suicide bomber of Al Sabeen Monday massacre was Amir Al Deen Al Warfi, 25, from the neighborhood of Musaik in Sanaa.
The ministry of interior on its website said that Al Warfi was involved in many terrorist acts in Mareb and Hudhrmout.
The ministry also confirmed the previous reports that two suicide bombers were arrested immediately after the massacre of Al Sabeen.
The ministry identified the two suicide bombers as Mohammed Nahshal and Jihad Saeed Al Austa.
Earlier in the week, two suicide bombers with two motor cycles were arrested before they implemented a new terrorist operation against the Yemeni army after the massacre of Monday in which hundreds of soldiers were killed and injured, security sources said on Tuesday.
The two suicide bombers were supposed to ram their motor cycles into busses carrying the soldiers who were participating in the military parade held in Sanaa on Tuesday to celebrate the national day despite the massacre of Monday that aimed parly to foil the celebration.
The parade was not held in the square where the massacre happened but it was held in the air defence college, a closed place nearby by the house of President Hadi. Less than half of the parade forces participated in the celebration which was attended by Preisdnet Hadi and the State officials and diplomats.
Soldiers from the rival units ( Defected and loyal to former Preisdent Saleh) were excluded from participating in Tuesday's parade after the massacre of Monday.
There were only 2900 student soldiers in the parade who all were from military colleges and institutes. On the 22nd anniversary of the Unification Day on May 22, 1990, President Hadi vowed to eradicate Al Qaeda from Yemen.
The Al Qaeda in Yemen claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of Monday saying it was in retaliation for the " American war" against them in the southern province of Abyan.
In the statement which was sent to local journalists as SMS from Al Qaeda elements who are always in contact with media, Al Qaeda said the target was the minister of defense Mohammed Nasser Ahmed and his deputies.
Neither the minister nor anyone of his deputies were harmed because they were watching the parade from the stage which is about 500 meters away from the middle of the square.
Observers say that Al Qaeda targeted as many as possible of soldiers not the minister, but after the wide local and international condemnation of their massacre, Al Qaeda wanted to absorb some of the people's anger by saying the target was the minister of defense who leads the battles against Al Qaeda in the south at the moment.
However, interviews with survivors from the soldiers showed that Al Qaeda actually was targeting both all the soldiers and all the officials including the minister of defense. Some soldiers said they saw an attacker with RPG aiming at the stage.
But the attacker with RPG was killed while he was trying to kill the minister of defense and other senior military officials, immediately after the suicide bomber blew himself up killing more than 100 and injuring more than 300 in the middle of the parade rehearsal.
"After the suicide bombing, our commander ordered us to lie on the ground, because he was seeing the attacker with RPG aiming at the stage of the officials," said Jamal, an officer who was participating in the parade rehearsal.
" We lay down to the ground, and after we heard three bullets, we were told to stand up and go away," said the survivor officer, Jamal.
"They told us then that one of the security men shot the attacker dead before he triggered the RPG," added the officer. The RPG attacker was wearing civil clothes not like the suicide bomber who was wearing a military uniform to divert the attention when he walked into the parade.
The soldiers of the parade were given about 10 minutes break at about 10 am on Tuesday. Some soldiers climbed tduring the break through the wall between parade square and the adjacent amusement parking, Al Sabeen Amusement Park. "I think the suicide bomber entered at the time of the break, it was easier for him because coming in coming out at that time was very random," said the officer Jamal.
The eye witness Abdullah Saeed, said he saw soldier alone in the amusement park getting closer and closer to the wall. " Then I saw many soldiers coming in and out through the wall, and this one joined them and jumped over the wall like the others, and seconds after that I heard the bombing," said Abdullah Saeed, who works as a vendor. " After the bombing I remembered that soldier passed beside me, and was alone for some time," he added.
It was a horrible day for the 25-year old officer, Jamal, along with more than 6000 colleague soldiers from all security and military units who were in the last minutes of the last parade rehearsal in Al Sabeen Square, the country's largest parade square in southern part of the capital Sanaa.
"All of a sudden and minutes before we finish, we heard a huge explosion, and then we heard the commander of the parade talking through the loud speaker, ' Do not move'! And seconds later he was saying ' go away, go away'!," said Jamal.
"As I was moving away from the middle of the square, I was seeing legs and arms in the air, only then I understood it was an attack against us," he said.
The massacre, which was condemned by almost the whole world, came two weeks after the top leader of Al Qaeda Eyman Al Zawahri called his followers in Yemen to overthrow the new President of Yemen, Hadi, who, he said, is even worse than Saleh.
One day before the massacre, Al Qaeda failed to assassinate American military trainers in the western province of Hodeida. On the same day, Al Qaeda kidnapped a Spanish security expert from the Spanish embassy. The Yemen security authorities found the dead body of the Spanish expert on Tuesday in Sanaa.
On Wednesday May 23rd, 2012, friends of Yemen are meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh to discuss how to help Yemen stand on its own once again.
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
As Friends meet today in Riyadh, aid agencies in Yemen warn of hunger catastrophe
Source: INGO press release, 23/05/2012
Yemen is on the brink of a catastrophic food crisis, seven aid agencies said today (23 May 2012) with 10 million people – 44 percent of the population – without enough food to eat. The aid agencies warned that malnutrition rates recorded by the UN in some parts of the country were alarming, with one in three children severely malnourished.
Ministers from the UK, Saudi Arabia and other countries are set to meet at the Friends of Yemen conference in Riyadh today. The agencies - CARE, International Medical Corps, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Mercy Corps, Oxfam and Save the Children – called on those attending the meeting to scale up efforts to tackle the crisis. The UN humanitarian appeal for the country is just 43 percent funded – a $262 million shortfall.
Penny Lawrence, Oxfam’s International Director, who is visiting Yemen, said:
“Yemeni families are at the brink and have exhausted their ways of coping with this crisis. A quarter of the population has fallen into debt trying to feed their families. Mothers are taking their children out of school to beg on the streets to get money to survive. Donors are focused on politics and security, but failure to respond adequately to the humanitarian needs now will put more lives at risk, further entrench poverty and could undermine political transition in the country.”
Yemen’s political crisis last year increased hunger in the country as food and fuel prices surged. Hunger has doubled since 2009. A quarter of the hungry – some 5 million people – are in need of urgent emergency aid. In Al Hodeidah and Hajjah, child malnutrition rates are double the emergency level. The UN estimates that 267,000 Yemeni children are facing life threatening levels of malnutrition.
Conflict in the north and south the country is also exacerbating the crisis. Over the last two months, nearly 95,000 people have been forced to leave their homes as a result of conflicts, bringing the number of people displaced in the country to close to half a million.
Women are particularly at risk, as they generally eat last and least. Oxfam partners have reported an increase in early marriage as families marry off their daughters young in order to ease the burden of the crisis.
Jerry Farrell, Save the Children's country Director in Yemen said:"Almost half of Yemen's population now does not have enough to eat. Political instability, conflict and high prices have left families across the country going hungry. We know that children always suffer the most when food is in short supply, and unless urgent humanitarian action is taken, Yemen will be plunged into a hunger crisis of catastrophic proportions."
Donors have justified their reluctance to respond swiftly and at the scale required by pointing to the security situation and the continued political instability in the country. However, the work of the aid agencies shows that assistance can be delivered at scale and in a manner that is transparent and accountable, despite the difficult context.
Hashem Awnallah, Islamic Relief Yemen (IRY) Country Director, said:
“The hungry of Yemen cannot wait. The aid community is ready and willing to scale up in Yemen. Donors need to heed the lessons of the Horn of Africa and respond now before the crisis further deepens.”
There is food in local markets in most parts of Yemen, but millions of people cannot afford to buy enough food for their families. Oxfam gave cash payments to 100,000 people in Al Hodeidah helping them to purchase food, with Save the Children running a similar programme in Sa’ada. Mercy Corps has implemented cash-for-work projects in Taiz City providing a fair wage to local people with little other means to earn income and buy food. CARE’s recent livelihoods project in Haradh reached 4373 people with 1794 internally displaced persons. In addition, government programmes like the Social Welfare Fund, which provides cash payments to millions of Yemenis, could be further supported and scaled up.
Yemen is on the brink of a catastrophic food crisis, seven aid agencies said today (23 May 2012) with 10 million people – 44 percent of the population – without enough food to eat. The aid agencies warned that malnutrition rates recorded by the UN in some parts of the country were alarming, with one in three children severely malnourished.
Ministers from the UK, Saudi Arabia and other countries are set to meet at the Friends of Yemen conference in Riyadh today. The agencies - CARE, International Medical Corps, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Mercy Corps, Oxfam and Save the Children – called on those attending the meeting to scale up efforts to tackle the crisis. The UN humanitarian appeal for the country is just 43 percent funded – a $262 million shortfall.
Penny Lawrence, Oxfam’s International Director, who is visiting Yemen, said:
“Yemeni families are at the brink and have exhausted their ways of coping with this crisis. A quarter of the population has fallen into debt trying to feed their families. Mothers are taking their children out of school to beg on the streets to get money to survive. Donors are focused on politics and security, but failure to respond adequately to the humanitarian needs now will put more lives at risk, further entrench poverty and could undermine political transition in the country.”
Yemen’s political crisis last year increased hunger in the country as food and fuel prices surged. Hunger has doubled since 2009. A quarter of the hungry – some 5 million people – are in need of urgent emergency aid. In Al Hodeidah and Hajjah, child malnutrition rates are double the emergency level. The UN estimates that 267,000 Yemeni children are facing life threatening levels of malnutrition.
Conflict in the north and south the country is also exacerbating the crisis. Over the last two months, nearly 95,000 people have been forced to leave their homes as a result of conflicts, bringing the number of people displaced in the country to close to half a million.
Women are particularly at risk, as they generally eat last and least. Oxfam partners have reported an increase in early marriage as families marry off their daughters young in order to ease the burden of the crisis.
Jerry Farrell, Save the Children's country Director in Yemen said:"Almost half of Yemen's population now does not have enough to eat. Political instability, conflict and high prices have left families across the country going hungry. We know that children always suffer the most when food is in short supply, and unless urgent humanitarian action is taken, Yemen will be plunged into a hunger crisis of catastrophic proportions."
Donors have justified their reluctance to respond swiftly and at the scale required by pointing to the security situation and the continued political instability in the country. However, the work of the aid agencies shows that assistance can be delivered at scale and in a manner that is transparent and accountable, despite the difficult context.
Hashem Awnallah, Islamic Relief Yemen (IRY) Country Director, said:
“The hungry of Yemen cannot wait. The aid community is ready and willing to scale up in Yemen. Donors need to heed the lessons of the Horn of Africa and respond now before the crisis further deepens.”
There is food in local markets in most parts of Yemen, but millions of people cannot afford to buy enough food for their families. Oxfam gave cash payments to 100,000 people in Al Hodeidah helping them to purchase food, with Save the Children running a similar programme in Sa’ada. Mercy Corps has implemented cash-for-work projects in Taiz City providing a fair wage to local people with little other means to earn income and buy food. CARE’s recent livelihoods project in Haradh reached 4373 people with 1794 internally displaced persons. In addition, government programmes like the Social Welfare Fund, which provides cash payments to millions of Yemenis, could be further supported and scaled up.
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Al Qaeda aimed to assassinate both senior military officials and soldiers of the parade, survivors say
Al Qaeda aimed to assassinate both senior military officials and soldiers of the parade, survivors say
Two new suicide bombers arrested, and terrorist assigned to kill minister of defense killed before he triggers RPG.
Suicide bombings kill more than drones?
By Nasser Arrabyee,22/05/2012
Two suicide bombers with two motor cycles were arrested before they implemented a new terrorist operation against the Yemeni army after the massacre of Monday in which hundreds of soldiers were killed and injured, security sources said on Tuesday.
The two suicide bombers were supposed to ram their motor cycles into busses carrying the soldiers who were participating in the military parade held in Sanaa on Tuesday to celebrate the national day despite the massacre of Monday that aimed parly to foil the celebration.
The parade was not held in the square where the massacre happened but it was held in the air defence college, a closed place nearby by the house of President Hadi. Less than half of the parade forces participated in the celebration which was attended by Preisdnet Hadi and the State officials and diplomats.
Soldiers from the rival units ( Defected and loyal to former Preisdent Saleh) were excluded from participating in Tuesday's parade after the massacre of Monday.
There were only 2900 student soldiers in the parade who all were from military colleges and institutes. On the 22nd anniversary of the Unification Day on May 22, 1990, President Hadi vowed to eradicate Al Qaeda from Yemen.
The Al Qaeda in Yemen claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of Monday saying it was in retaliation for the " American war" against them in the southern province of Abyan.
In the statement which was sent to local journalists as SMS from Al Qaeda elements who are always in contact with media, Al Qaeda said the target was the minister of defense Mohammed Nasser Ahmed and his deputies.
Neither the minister nor anyone of his deputies were harmed because they were watching the parade from the stage which is about 500 meters away from the middle of the square.
Observers say that Al Qaeda targeted as many as possible of soldiers not the minister, but after the wide local and international condemnation of their massacre, Al Qaeda wanted to absorb some of the people's anger by saying the target was the minister of defense who leads the battles against Al Qaeda in the south at the moment.
However, interviews with survivors from the soldiers showed that Al Qaeda actually was targeting both all the soldiers and all the officials including the minister of defense. Some soldiers said they saw an attacker with RPG aiming at the stage.
But the attacker with RPG was killed while he was trying to kill the minister of defense and other senior military officials, immediately after the suicide bomber blew himself up killing more than 100 and injuring more than 300 in the middle of the parade rehearsal.
"After the suicide bombing, our commander ordered us to lie on the ground, because he was seeing the attacker with RPG aiming at the stage of the officials," said Jamal, an officer who was participating in the parade rehearsal.
" We lay down to the ground, and after we heard three bullets, we were told to stand up and go away," said the survivor officer, Jamal.
"They told us then that one of the security men shot the attacker dead before he triggered the RPG," added the officer. The RPG attacker was wearing civil clothes not like the suicide bomber who was wearing a military uniform to divert the attention when he walked into the parade.
The soldiers of the parade were given about 10 minutes break at about 10 am on Tuesday. Some soldiers climbed tduring the break through the wall between parade square and the adjacent amusement parking, Al Sabeen Amusement Park. "I think the suicide bomber entered at the time of the break, it was easier for him because coming in coming out at that time was very random," said the officer Jamal.
The eye witness Abdullah Saeed, said he saw soldier alone in the amusement park getting closer and closer to the wall. " Then I saw many soldiers coming in and out through the wall, and this one joined them and jumped over the wall like the others, and seconds after that I heard the bombing," said Abdullah Saeed, who works as a vendor. " After the bombing I remembered that soldier passed beside me, and was alone for some time," he added.
It was a horrible day for the 25-year old officer, Jamal, along with more than 6000 colleague soldiers from all security and military units who were in the last minutes of the last parade rehearsal in Al Sabeen Square, the country's largest parade square in southern part of the capital Sanaa.
"All of a sudden and minutes before we finish, we heard a huge explosion, and then we heard the commander of the parade talking through the loud speaker, ' Do not move'! And seconds later he was saying ' go away, go away'!," said Jamal.
"As I was moving away from the middle of the square, I was seeing legs and arms in the air, only then I understood it was an attack against us," he said.
The massacre, which was condemned by almost the whole world, came two weeks after the top leader of Al Qaeda Eyman Al Zawahri called his followers in Yemen to overthrow the new President of Yemen, Hadi, who, he said, is even worse than Saleh.
One day before the massacre, Al Qaeda failed to assassinate American military trainers in the western province of Hodeida. On the same day, Al Qaeda kidnapped a Spanish security expert from the Spanish embassy. The Yemen security authorities found the dead body of the Spanish expert on Tuesday in Sanaa.
On Wednesday May 23rd, 2012, friends of Yemen are meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh to discuss how to help Yemen stand on its own once again.
Two new suicide bombers arrested, and terrorist assigned to kill minister of defense killed before he triggers RPG.
Suicide bombings kill more than drones?
By Nasser Arrabyee,22/05/2012
Two suicide bombers with two motor cycles were arrested before they implemented a new terrorist operation against the Yemeni army after the massacre of Monday in which hundreds of soldiers were killed and injured, security sources said on Tuesday.
The two suicide bombers were supposed to ram their motor cycles into busses carrying the soldiers who were participating in the military parade held in Sanaa on Tuesday to celebrate the national day despite the massacre of Monday that aimed parly to foil the celebration.
The parade was not held in the square where the massacre happened but it was held in the air defence college, a closed place nearby by the house of President Hadi. Less than half of the parade forces participated in the celebration which was attended by Preisdnet Hadi and the State officials and diplomats.
Soldiers from the rival units ( Defected and loyal to former Preisdent Saleh) were excluded from participating in Tuesday's parade after the massacre of Monday.
There were only 2900 student soldiers in the parade who all were from military colleges and institutes. On the 22nd anniversary of the Unification Day on May 22, 1990, President Hadi vowed to eradicate Al Qaeda from Yemen.
The Al Qaeda in Yemen claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of Monday saying it was in retaliation for the " American war" against them in the southern province of Abyan.
In the statement which was sent to local journalists as SMS from Al Qaeda elements who are always in contact with media, Al Qaeda said the target was the minister of defense Mohammed Nasser Ahmed and his deputies.
Neither the minister nor anyone of his deputies were harmed because they were watching the parade from the stage which is about 500 meters away from the middle of the square.
Observers say that Al Qaeda targeted as many as possible of soldiers not the minister, but after the wide local and international condemnation of their massacre, Al Qaeda wanted to absorb some of the people's anger by saying the target was the minister of defense who leads the battles against Al Qaeda in the south at the moment.
However, interviews with survivors from the soldiers showed that Al Qaeda actually was targeting both all the soldiers and all the officials including the minister of defense. Some soldiers said they saw an attacker with RPG aiming at the stage.
But the attacker with RPG was killed while he was trying to kill the minister of defense and other senior military officials, immediately after the suicide bomber blew himself up killing more than 100 and injuring more than 300 in the middle of the parade rehearsal.
"After the suicide bombing, our commander ordered us to lie on the ground, because he was seeing the attacker with RPG aiming at the stage of the officials," said Jamal, an officer who was participating in the parade rehearsal.
" We lay down to the ground, and after we heard three bullets, we were told to stand up and go away," said the survivor officer, Jamal.
"They told us then that one of the security men shot the attacker dead before he triggered the RPG," added the officer. The RPG attacker was wearing civil clothes not like the suicide bomber who was wearing a military uniform to divert the attention when he walked into the parade.
The soldiers of the parade were given about 10 minutes break at about 10 am on Tuesday. Some soldiers climbed tduring the break through the wall between parade square and the adjacent amusement parking, Al Sabeen Amusement Park. "I think the suicide bomber entered at the time of the break, it was easier for him because coming in coming out at that time was very random," said the officer Jamal.
The eye witness Abdullah Saeed, said he saw soldier alone in the amusement park getting closer and closer to the wall. " Then I saw many soldiers coming in and out through the wall, and this one joined them and jumped over the wall like the others, and seconds after that I heard the bombing," said Abdullah Saeed, who works as a vendor. " After the bombing I remembered that soldier passed beside me, and was alone for some time," he added.
It was a horrible day for the 25-year old officer, Jamal, along with more than 6000 colleague soldiers from all security and military units who were in the last minutes of the last parade rehearsal in Al Sabeen Square, the country's largest parade square in southern part of the capital Sanaa.
"All of a sudden and minutes before we finish, we heard a huge explosion, and then we heard the commander of the parade talking through the loud speaker, ' Do not move'! And seconds later he was saying ' go away, go away'!," said Jamal.
"As I was moving away from the middle of the square, I was seeing legs and arms in the air, only then I understood it was an attack against us," he said.
The massacre, which was condemned by almost the whole world, came two weeks after the top leader of Al Qaeda Eyman Al Zawahri called his followers in Yemen to overthrow the new President of Yemen, Hadi, who, he said, is even worse than Saleh.
One day before the massacre, Al Qaeda failed to assassinate American military trainers in the western province of Hodeida. On the same day, Al Qaeda kidnapped a Spanish security expert from the Spanish embassy. The Yemen security authorities found the dead body of the Spanish expert on Tuesday in Sanaa.
On Wednesday May 23rd, 2012, friends of Yemen are meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh to discuss how to help Yemen stand on its own once again.
Sunday, 20 May 2012
American military expert attacked, and Spanish security expert kidnapped by Al Qaeda in Yemen
Source: Xinhua, 20/05/2012
SANAA- A group of U.S. counterterrorism experts were attacked by suspected al-Qaida militants in Yemen's western port city of al-Hodayda on Sunday, one expert being seriously wounded, officials said.
"A number of militants from suspected al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) opened fire on a group of U.S. counterterrorism experts when they were training Yemeni coastal guards in the western port city of al-Hodayda," a Yemeni security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
"One of them was hit in the neck and airlifted to the capital Sanaa for treatment," he said.
An official at the U.S. embassy in Sanaa confirmed to Xinhua the attack. "The attack took place on Sunday morning while the U.S. experts were training Yemeni coastal guards," the official said, denying reports that U.S. soldiers had arrived in the city to prepare for fighting against al-Qaida.
On the same day, an official from the Interior Ministry told Xinhua anonymously that "a newly-arrived Spanish security official at the Spanish embassy in Sanaa was snatched on Sunday by al-Qaida suspects." But he declined to provide further details.
Officials at the Spanish embassy in Sanaa could not be reached for comment.
With the support of U.S. experts and drones, the Yemeni government has launched an "all-out offensive" against al-Qaida militants for nine days in the southern province of Abyan.
The ongoing fighting has left more than two hundred people from both sides killed, while thousands of civilians have fled to neighboring provinces of Aden and Lahj.
The attack against U.S. experts came one day after chief of U.S. Special Operations Forces General Ken Tovo met with Yemeni officials in Sanaa to discuses ongoing joint-military operations against the AQAP which exploited one-year unrest to expand control over several cities in Yemen's southern regions.
Meanwhile, military officials said on Sunday that at least 10 anti-Qaida militiamen and 18 terrorists were killed during fierce battles overnight in the outskirts of the insurgents-controlled town of Jaar in Abyan.
However, witnesses and residents told Xinhua that more than 100 soldiers were killed during the overnight battles, as the al-Qaida militants forced the army to retreat about 30 kilometers from Jaar to areas near neighboring province of Lahj.
SANAA- A group of U.S. counterterrorism experts were attacked by suspected al-Qaida militants in Yemen's western port city of al-Hodayda on Sunday, one expert being seriously wounded, officials said.
"A number of militants from suspected al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) opened fire on a group of U.S. counterterrorism experts when they were training Yemeni coastal guards in the western port city of al-Hodayda," a Yemeni security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
"One of them was hit in the neck and airlifted to the capital Sanaa for treatment," he said.
An official at the U.S. embassy in Sanaa confirmed to Xinhua the attack. "The attack took place on Sunday morning while the U.S. experts were training Yemeni coastal guards," the official said, denying reports that U.S. soldiers had arrived in the city to prepare for fighting against al-Qaida.
On the same day, an official from the Interior Ministry told Xinhua anonymously that "a newly-arrived Spanish security official at the Spanish embassy in Sanaa was snatched on Sunday by al-Qaida suspects." But he declined to provide further details.
Officials at the Spanish embassy in Sanaa could not be reached for comment.
With the support of U.S. experts and drones, the Yemeni government has launched an "all-out offensive" against al-Qaida militants for nine days in the southern province of Abyan.
The ongoing fighting has left more than two hundred people from both sides killed, while thousands of civilians have fled to neighboring provinces of Aden and Lahj.
The attack against U.S. experts came one day after chief of U.S. Special Operations Forces General Ken Tovo met with Yemeni officials in Sanaa to discuses ongoing joint-military operations against the AQAP which exploited one-year unrest to expand control over several cities in Yemen's southern regions.
Meanwhile, military officials said on Sunday that at least 10 anti-Qaida militiamen and 18 terrorists were killed during fierce battles overnight in the outskirts of the insurgents-controlled town of Jaar in Abyan.
However, witnesses and residents told Xinhua that more than 100 soldiers were killed during the overnight battles, as the al-Qaida militants forced the army to retreat about 30 kilometers from Jaar to areas near neighboring province of Lahj.
US wants the strikes on Yemen to be less costly
Sources: Latimes, 20/05/2012
As the United States finally begins to wind down its military presence in Afghanistan, is the Obama administration poised to replicate that intervention in Yemen?
The administration insists it has no such plans, but it has been evident for months that it regards the Yemen-based group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula as the most dangerous incubator of terrorist plots directed at America. And it is acting on that conviction.
This week The Times reported that U.S. special operations troops, which were withdrawn from Yemen last year amid political turmoil in that country, have returned and are providing technical assistance to Yemeni forces.
Meanwhile, at least 18 U.S. military and drone strikes have been reported against Islamist targets in Yemen since early March, a significant upsurge, and the CIA is active there.
The administration also is trying to bolster Yemen's new president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, by authorizing the U.S.
Treasury to freeze the assets of individuals who "threaten the peace, security and stability" of Yemen.
The number of American forces in Yemen is minuscule compared with the approximately 90,000 U.S. troops now deployed in Afghanistan (23,000 of whom will be withdrawn by the end of the summer).
Troubling as they are for other reasons, including the possibility of civilian casualties, drone strikes against Al Qaeda insurgents are not labor-intensive.
Moreover, the administration is adamant that the recent increase in U.S. activity in Yemen doesn't portend a major commitment of troops or resources.
"That would not serve our long-term interests and runs counter to the desires of the Yemeni government and its people," a spokesman for the National Security Council told The Times.
Given the experience of the U.S. in Afghanistan, where a mission to dislodge Al Qaeda and the Taliban morphed into a decade-long exercise in counterinsurgency and nation-building, it is hardly alarmist to worry that similar mission creep might occur in Yemen, especially as the U.S. becomes more invested in the Hadi government. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula isn't the only threat to the new regime. Islamic militants have established an "emirate" in southern Yemen.
No one should belittle the danger posed by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. There is clearly a need for intelligence operations such as the one that thwarted a conspiracy to construct a potentially undetectable bomb in the month before the anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death.
What President Obama — or Mitt Romney, if he is elected in November — must avoid is the sort of expansive intervention that has enmeshed this country in Afghanistan.
As the United States finally begins to wind down its military presence in Afghanistan, is the Obama administration poised to replicate that intervention in Yemen?
The administration insists it has no such plans, but it has been evident for months that it regards the Yemen-based group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula as the most dangerous incubator of terrorist plots directed at America. And it is acting on that conviction.
This week The Times reported that U.S. special operations troops, which were withdrawn from Yemen last year amid political turmoil in that country, have returned and are providing technical assistance to Yemeni forces.
Meanwhile, at least 18 U.S. military and drone strikes have been reported against Islamist targets in Yemen since early March, a significant upsurge, and the CIA is active there.
The administration also is trying to bolster Yemen's new president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, by authorizing the U.S.
Treasury to freeze the assets of individuals who "threaten the peace, security and stability" of Yemen.
The number of American forces in Yemen is minuscule compared with the approximately 90,000 U.S. troops now deployed in Afghanistan (23,000 of whom will be withdrawn by the end of the summer).
Troubling as they are for other reasons, including the possibility of civilian casualties, drone strikes against Al Qaeda insurgents are not labor-intensive.
Moreover, the administration is adamant that the recent increase in U.S. activity in Yemen doesn't portend a major commitment of troops or resources.
"That would not serve our long-term interests and runs counter to the desires of the Yemeni government and its people," a spokesman for the National Security Council told The Times.
Given the experience of the U.S. in Afghanistan, where a mission to dislodge Al Qaeda and the Taliban morphed into a decade-long exercise in counterinsurgency and nation-building, it is hardly alarmist to worry that similar mission creep might occur in Yemen, especially as the U.S. becomes more invested in the Hadi government. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula isn't the only threat to the new regime. Islamic militants have established an "emirate" in southern Yemen.
No one should belittle the danger posed by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. There is clearly a need for intelligence operations such as the one that thwarted a conspiracy to construct a potentially undetectable bomb in the month before the anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death.
What President Obama — or Mitt Romney, if he is elected in November — must avoid is the sort of expansive intervention that has enmeshed this country in Afghanistan.
Friday, 18 May 2012
Al Qaeda escaping to the last stronghold,after training camp destroyed by shelling from the sea
By Nasser Arrabyee,18/05/2012
A training camp for Al Qaeda was destroyed by shelling from the Sea on the coastal town of Shuqra, said local sources Friday.
The camp was located in the area of Shaka at the outskirts of Shukra, one of the last strongholds of Al Qaeda on the Gulf of Aden,
Several militants were killed and injured by the shelling before militants moved to hide in a girls school at the eastern extreme of the town, said the sources.
No militants from Al Qaeda could be seen on Friday in any of the check points previously deployed in and outside of the town, said the sources.
The shelling was coming from warships in the Arabian Sea,local people believe that American warships participate in the unprecedented ongoing campaign against Al Qaeda from the sea and the air drones.
" We expect that Al Qaeda fighters would move to Azzan in Shabwah, especially after their defeats in Lawdar and Jaar," said Mohammed who fights with the Anti-Al Qaeda popular committees in Lawdar.
Likewise,6 Al Qaeda operatives were killed including one of the leaders when loyal tribesmen attacked a position of Al Qaeda in Batais area at the outskirts of Jaar.
Ahmed Abdu Al Nabi,( brother of the leader Khaled Abdul Nabi) , Nader Al Shadadi, Jihad Al Azzani, and Hamada Al Shadadi were killed Friday in Jaar in clashes with loyal tribesmen, who started to form committees like those in Lawdar.
These clashes come only hours before the end of the 48- hour ultimatum given on Thursday by the army to civilians to get out from Jaar to protect themselves from a comprehensive attack on Jaar.
The army is already controlling the areas of Al Rawa, Husn, Batais, and October 7 at the outskirts of Jaar. The distance from the middle of the town to October 7 area is only about 1 kms, according to the local residents.
A training camp for Al Qaeda was destroyed by shelling from the Sea on the coastal town of Shuqra, said local sources Friday.
The camp was located in the area of Shaka at the outskirts of Shukra, one of the last strongholds of Al Qaeda on the Gulf of Aden,
Several militants were killed and injured by the shelling before militants moved to hide in a girls school at the eastern extreme of the town, said the sources.
No militants from Al Qaeda could be seen on Friday in any of the check points previously deployed in and outside of the town, said the sources.
The shelling was coming from warships in the Arabian Sea,local people believe that American warships participate in the unprecedented ongoing campaign against Al Qaeda from the sea and the air drones.
" We expect that Al Qaeda fighters would move to Azzan in Shabwah, especially after their defeats in Lawdar and Jaar," said Mohammed who fights with the Anti-Al Qaeda popular committees in Lawdar.
Likewise,6 Al Qaeda operatives were killed including one of the leaders when loyal tribesmen attacked a position of Al Qaeda in Batais area at the outskirts of Jaar.
Ahmed Abdu Al Nabi,( brother of the leader Khaled Abdul Nabi) , Nader Al Shadadi, Jihad Al Azzani, and Hamada Al Shadadi were killed Friday in Jaar in clashes with loyal tribesmen, who started to form committees like those in Lawdar.
These clashes come only hours before the end of the 48- hour ultimatum given on Thursday by the army to civilians to get out from Jaar to protect themselves from a comprehensive attack on Jaar.
The army is already controlling the areas of Al Rawa, Husn, Batais, and October 7 at the outskirts of Jaar. The distance from the middle of the town to October 7 area is only about 1 kms, according to the local residents.
Thursday, 17 May 2012
'Supporters of Vice' defeated, tribesmen rejoice after cleansing Lawdar of terrorists
Is Al Qaeda enemy or ally with US?
By Nasser Arrabyee,17/05/2012
Celebrations and cheering and firing to the air filled the southern town of Lawdar since early morning Thursday after the army and loyal tribesmen defeated Al Qaeda fighters and forced them to leave the town and neighboring places, according to local sources in the town.
The remnants of the terrorists could be seen escaping in the direction of the coastal town Shuqrah, 70 km south of Lawdar, said the sources.
" Tens of terrorists in military vehicles and two tanks and one artillery being pulled behind one of the cars, were seen early morning Thursday moving in the direction of Shuqrah," said Mohammed Saleh, one of the tribesmen who fight with the army against Al Qaeda in Lawdar.
"People of Lawdar are very happy to get rid of the supporters of vice," said Mohammed Saleh referring to Al Qaeda terrorists who call themselves supporters of Shariah, or Answar Al Shariah.
Commenting on what is happening now in Abyan, the political analyst, Ahmed Al Sufi,said Al Qaeda is trying to play a role to help the brotherhood to take power.
Al Sufi who was the press secretary of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, said what is happening now in Abyan is one of the fruits of what is called the Arab Spring.
" Is Al Qaeda an enemy to US or a strategic ally used to destroy the Arab counties under the pretext ofArab Spring," Al Sufi wondered in a symposium on Al Qaeda held in Sanaa Wednesday.
Al Sufi was obviously referring to the American support for the brotherhood movement in Yemen and other Arab countries.
He said Al Qaeda focussed on Abyan in particular only to foil and obstruct the implementation of the political transition under the GCC deal and overthrow the new president Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi who is originally from Abyan.
Al Sufi cited the recent statement of the top leader of Al Qaeda Ayman Al Zawahri who called this week upon Yemenis to revolt and rebel against the new president Hadi as they did against the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Al Sufi said that the brotherhood in Yemen, the Islah party, promoted the statement of Al Zawahri as an important decree that must be implemented.
Car bombs or drones, which would win in Yemen?
Earlier this week, Yemeni troops supported with local tribesmen and US drones nearly defeated Al Qaeda in its Taliban-style places in south of the country after about one month of unprecedented military and popular campaign.
The Yemeni flag was raised on Tuesday in Yasof Mount which overlooks the southern town of Lawdar, one of the most important strongholds of Al Qaeda. 6 Al Qaeda operatives, 4 tribesmen and 2 soldiers were killed in the operation which was like the last straw that broke the back of Al Qaeda in Lawdar.
The defeat was recognized by Al Qaeda which said it was a tactic withdrawal after ammunition ran out. At least four of the escaping fighters were arrested in the same day in the neighboring province of Al Baidha according to security sources there.
Such an unprecedented camping against Al Qaeda comes before the Friends of Yemen meet in the Saudi capital Riyadh on May 23rd, 2012. The biggest concern of the Friends of Yemen ( mainly Americans, Europeans, Gulf countries) is the terrorism of Al Qaeda.
Yemen says it needs at least about 10 billion dollars to restart its essential economic and development projects after the one-year unrest. The " Friends" would not pay any money before Al Qaeda is defeated.
The troops are only less than 8 km away from Jaar, the strongest and the oldest Taliban-Style emirates in the southern province of Abyan. Late Tuesday May 15, 2012, air strikes killed at least 12 in an attack on a house where Al Qaeda operatives were staying . Before the air strikes, helicopters dropped leaflets telling civilians to stay away from Al Qaeda.
Local sources however, said only five Al Qaeda operatives were killed in the first air strike, and others were civilians who came after the strikes to rescue Al Qaeda.
" The strike was on the house of Al Mansouri, where Al Qaeda operatives usually meet, and the first strike killed all the five who were in the house," said Mansour, a local resident. " When local people saw the house being destroyed, they went to see and rescue, but another air strike came killing 7 of them."o
More than 100,000 people displaced from Jaar and Zinjubar after the two towns were declared Taliban-Style Islamic Emirates early last year. The majority of them are still staying Aden in very bad humanitarian conditions.
Zinjubar, the capital of Abyan, has been surrounded from all directions.
" We expect to take control over Jaar and Zinjubar over the coming 24 hours, and we will declare Abyan as free province from Al Qaeda," said military sources. " Al Qaeda try to escape from Jaar and Zinjubar in Abyan to Shabwah, and from Lawdar ( of Abyan also) to Al Baidha, but our troops and security agents will follow them wherever they go," said the military source.
US drones and US military and security experts are participating the ongoing campaign. The advisor of Barack Obama for counter-terrorism, John Brennan, paid one day visit earlier this week to Yemen where he met the newly elected President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi who said eradication of Al Qaeda is irreversible.
Suicide bomber with car bomb in Sanaa to retaliate the US drone attacks
The security forces are searching for a suicide bomber who has already entered Sanaa where he intends to blow himself up, said the ministry of interior on Tuesday.
The ministry said in a statement published on its website that the suicide bomber Abdullah Mohammed Jabir Al Shabwani, is now in Sanaa with his car bomb ( Land-cruiser, Jeep, model 2009, without number, but has the emblem of Republic of Yemen).
The would-be suicide bomber Al Shabwani is originally from Abeidah tribe of Mareb province.
Al Shabwani may want to take revenge for the 16 Al Qaeda terrorists who were killed earlier this week in two different attacks on three cars in Mareb by US drones . The majority of those killed were from Mareb especially his tribe Abeidah.
On Saturday May 12, 2012, US drones attacked three cars laden Al Qaeda operatives in two different places in the eastern province of
Mareb.
Six operatives were killed in the first car which was hit in the area of Husoon Al Jalal, in Wadi Abiedah of Mareb. Those who were killed in this strike were identified by the ministry of interior as 1)Mohsen Abdul Rehman Al Yosufi, 2) Saleh Mohammed Jabir Al Shabwani, 3) Abu Mutab Al Yamani,4) Abu Al Laith Al Hudhrami in addition to two other Saudi nationals who were not identified.
In the second drone attack, which happened about one hour later in the area of Muksarah, between Huraib of Mareb and Baihan of Shabwah.
A total of 10 terrorists were killed in the two cars and they were identified by the ministry of interior as 1) Ali Hassan Ali Gharaib Al Shabwani, from Abeidah tribe of Mareb, 2) Hassan Suod Hassan Bin Mueli, from Abeidah tribe,3) Hamid Nasser Al Akra'a, Jedaan tribe of Mareb, 4) Muhsen Saeed Kharasan, Jedaan tribe, 5) Ahmed Saleh Mohammed Al Fakeer, from Murad tribe of Mareb, 6) Mohammed Saleh Bakir Al Fakeer, Murad tribe, 7) Abdullah Ali Mohammed Al Kuti, Abeidah, 8) Aref Aisi Shabwi, from Shabwah,9) Mubarak Saleh Al Nasiri, from Shabwah, 10) Abu Obaidah Al Mesri, from Egypt.
By Nasser Arrabyee,17/05/2012
Celebrations and cheering and firing to the air filled the southern town of Lawdar since early morning Thursday after the army and loyal tribesmen defeated Al Qaeda fighters and forced them to leave the town and neighboring places, according to local sources in the town.
The remnants of the terrorists could be seen escaping in the direction of the coastal town Shuqrah, 70 km south of Lawdar, said the sources.
" Tens of terrorists in military vehicles and two tanks and one artillery being pulled behind one of the cars, were seen early morning Thursday moving in the direction of Shuqrah," said Mohammed Saleh, one of the tribesmen who fight with the army against Al Qaeda in Lawdar.
"People of Lawdar are very happy to get rid of the supporters of vice," said Mohammed Saleh referring to Al Qaeda terrorists who call themselves supporters of Shariah, or Answar Al Shariah.
Commenting on what is happening now in Abyan, the political analyst, Ahmed Al Sufi,said Al Qaeda is trying to play a role to help the brotherhood to take power.
Al Sufi who was the press secretary of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, said what is happening now in Abyan is one of the fruits of what is called the Arab Spring.
" Is Al Qaeda an enemy to US or a strategic ally used to destroy the Arab counties under the pretext ofArab Spring," Al Sufi wondered in a symposium on Al Qaeda held in Sanaa Wednesday.
Al Sufi was obviously referring to the American support for the brotherhood movement in Yemen and other Arab countries.
He said Al Qaeda focussed on Abyan in particular only to foil and obstruct the implementation of the political transition under the GCC deal and overthrow the new president Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi who is originally from Abyan.
Al Sufi cited the recent statement of the top leader of Al Qaeda Ayman Al Zawahri who called this week upon Yemenis to revolt and rebel against the new president Hadi as they did against the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Al Sufi said that the brotherhood in Yemen, the Islah party, promoted the statement of Al Zawahri as an important decree that must be implemented.
Car bombs or drones, which would win in Yemen?
Earlier this week, Yemeni troops supported with local tribesmen and US drones nearly defeated Al Qaeda in its Taliban-style places in south of the country after about one month of unprecedented military and popular campaign.
The Yemeni flag was raised on Tuesday in Yasof Mount which overlooks the southern town of Lawdar, one of the most important strongholds of Al Qaeda. 6 Al Qaeda operatives, 4 tribesmen and 2 soldiers were killed in the operation which was like the last straw that broke the back of Al Qaeda in Lawdar.
The defeat was recognized by Al Qaeda which said it was a tactic withdrawal after ammunition ran out. At least four of the escaping fighters were arrested in the same day in the neighboring province of Al Baidha according to security sources there.
Such an unprecedented camping against Al Qaeda comes before the Friends of Yemen meet in the Saudi capital Riyadh on May 23rd, 2012. The biggest concern of the Friends of Yemen ( mainly Americans, Europeans, Gulf countries) is the terrorism of Al Qaeda.
Yemen says it needs at least about 10 billion dollars to restart its essential economic and development projects after the one-year unrest. The " Friends" would not pay any money before Al Qaeda is defeated.
The troops are only less than 8 km away from Jaar, the strongest and the oldest Taliban-Style emirates in the southern province of Abyan. Late Tuesday May 15, 2012, air strikes killed at least 12 in an attack on a house where Al Qaeda operatives were staying . Before the air strikes, helicopters dropped leaflets telling civilians to stay away from Al Qaeda.
Local sources however, said only five Al Qaeda operatives were killed in the first air strike, and others were civilians who came after the strikes to rescue Al Qaeda.
" The strike was on the house of Al Mansouri, where Al Qaeda operatives usually meet, and the first strike killed all the five who were in the house," said Mansour, a local resident. " When local people saw the house being destroyed, they went to see and rescue, but another air strike came killing 7 of them."o
More than 100,000 people displaced from Jaar and Zinjubar after the two towns were declared Taliban-Style Islamic Emirates early last year. The majority of them are still staying Aden in very bad humanitarian conditions.
Zinjubar, the capital of Abyan, has been surrounded from all directions.
" We expect to take control over Jaar and Zinjubar over the coming 24 hours, and we will declare Abyan as free province from Al Qaeda," said military sources. " Al Qaeda try to escape from Jaar and Zinjubar in Abyan to Shabwah, and from Lawdar ( of Abyan also) to Al Baidha, but our troops and security agents will follow them wherever they go," said the military source.
US drones and US military and security experts are participating the ongoing campaign. The advisor of Barack Obama for counter-terrorism, John Brennan, paid one day visit earlier this week to Yemen where he met the newly elected President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi who said eradication of Al Qaeda is irreversible.
Suicide bomber with car bomb in Sanaa to retaliate the US drone attacks
The security forces are searching for a suicide bomber who has already entered Sanaa where he intends to blow himself up, said the ministry of interior on Tuesday.
The ministry said in a statement published on its website that the suicide bomber Abdullah Mohammed Jabir Al Shabwani, is now in Sanaa with his car bomb ( Land-cruiser, Jeep, model 2009, without number, but has the emblem of Republic of Yemen).
The would-be suicide bomber Al Shabwani is originally from Abeidah tribe of Mareb province.
Al Shabwani may want to take revenge for the 16 Al Qaeda terrorists who were killed earlier this week in two different attacks on three cars in Mareb by US drones . The majority of those killed were from Mareb especially his tribe Abeidah.
On Saturday May 12, 2012, US drones attacked three cars laden Al Qaeda operatives in two different places in the eastern province of
Mareb.
Six operatives were killed in the first car which was hit in the area of Husoon Al Jalal, in Wadi Abiedah of Mareb. Those who were killed in this strike were identified by the ministry of interior as 1)Mohsen Abdul Rehman Al Yosufi, 2) Saleh Mohammed Jabir Al Shabwani, 3) Abu Mutab Al Yamani,4) Abu Al Laith Al Hudhrami in addition to two other Saudi nationals who were not identified.
In the second drone attack, which happened about one hour later in the area of Muksarah, between Huraib of Mareb and Baihan of Shabwah.
A total of 10 terrorists were killed in the two cars and they were identified by the ministry of interior as 1) Ali Hassan Ali Gharaib Al Shabwani, from Abeidah tribe of Mareb, 2) Hassan Suod Hassan Bin Mueli, from Abeidah tribe,3) Hamid Nasser Al Akra'a, Jedaan tribe of Mareb, 4) Muhsen Saeed Kharasan, Jedaan tribe, 5) Ahmed Saleh Mohammed Al Fakeer, from Murad tribe of Mareb, 6) Mohammed Saleh Bakir Al Fakeer, Murad tribe, 7) Abdullah Ali Mohammed Al Kuti, Abeidah, 8) Aref Aisi Shabwi, from Shabwah,9) Mubarak Saleh Al Nasiri, from Shabwah, 10) Abu Obaidah Al Mesri, from Egypt.
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