Al Qaeda returning strongly to Lawdar, South Yemen

Fake truce, big lie helps car suicide bombing

By Nasser Arrabyee, 07/03/2013

When the young man Marad Saleh Al Hafedha was killed early morning today Thursday in the volatile southern  town of Lawdar, local people explained the incident differently. Some said he was wearing an explosive belt and was in his way to bomb Anti-Al Qaeda tribesmen called popular committees. 

Some others said it was an explosive bag placed under cartoon in the street. Mr Al Hafedha was the first one to walk over the explosive bag which exploded killing him immediately. 

The locals of this explanation believe  that the explosive bag was to target demonstration of  separatist movement Hirak, placed by Islamist activists hostile to Hirak.

Whatever the truth, this incident which came only two days after suicide car bombing which killed more than 12 and injured a out 20, means one important thing: Al Qaeda is returning strongly to this town.

Earlier in the week, Al Qaeda in Yemen denied any truce reached between their fighters and the government. Late last month, Mr Al Dhaheri Shadadi, the governor of Al Baidha, where a dangerous stronghold of Al Qaeda exists, announced in a crowd of tribesmen that a truce was reached with Al Qaeda.

Howeve, Al Qaeda said  American agents and projects were behind all that.  In a statement published this week in their websites, Al Qaeda said  that there was only an attempt by some of their confidant religious leaders but no success and no truce was reached at the end. 

 "The reason was the disgraceful attitude of Sanaa government which is dragged behind American projects and American  agents from Gulf," said the statement.

Late on Monday March 4th, 2013, at least 12 tribesmen were killed and 17 others injured when Al Qaeda  suicide bomber blew him self up and his car bomb at the main place of what is called Anti-Al Qaeda Popular Committees in the middle of the town of Lawdar, at the border of Al Baidha.

On the same day, four Al Qaeda members had escaped from the intelligence prison in the same town of Lawdar. One day earlier, the Islamist party Islah

 ( Yemen brotherhood) organized a demonstration in this town also to demand release of some of its members who were put in intelligence prison for charges of Al Qaeda links. 

The demonstration turned to riot and violence  acts when some of the demonstrators tried to storm the intelligence prison to release Al Qaeda prisoners by force. 

The Anti-Al Qaeda Popular Committees, local tribesmen paid by the government, arrested 15 of the demonstrators, most of them from the Islamist party Islah.

These developments came less than one week after Al Qaeda released a Swiss woman kidnapped one year ago, in return for 5 million dollars:  2 for Al Qaeda and 3 for tribal leaders who negotiated. 

The whole amount of  money was paid by Qatar. Observers say that Qatar wanted to be seen better than Saudi Arabia who failed to rescue their diplomat who is still held by Al Qaeda. A private Qatari plane picked up the Swiss hostage from Sanaa to Doha last Week.

The Saudi diplomat, and two Finns ( couple) and an Austrian man are still in the hand of Al Qaeda who makes a lot of money from hostages. The Saudi diplomat, Abdullah Al Khaldi, was kidnapped from Aden on March 2012, and the three westerners were kidnaped from the capital Sanaa last December.

Th most powerful general Ali Muhsen instructed tribal leaders in the Islamist party to do the their  best for convincing Al Qaeda to release the Swiss woman, according to sources familiar with the mediation efforts. 

General Ali Muhsen has a big popularity among the Islamist party Islah, as the supporter and defender of the "revolution" against the regime of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. General Muhsen was the second powerful man during Saleh's 33 year long reign. 

Even more, Muhsen himself said recently he was the first man not the second man in the former regime.

Earlier this week, Muhsen said he must continue in his post to defend the country from "internal and external" conspiracies, amid rising demands that Muhsen be sacked as the main pillar of Saleh's regime. 

In last week press statements,  Muhsen  said he had been in "full" coordination with Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to overthrow President Saleh during the crisis of 2011.

He said he would have quitted all his posts and go home for rest if Yemen was stabled,but now he can not, because Yemen will be drowning in chaos and wars if he is not there. 

" My continuation with President Hadi will prevent internal and external parties from undermining the security of Yemen," said Muhsen in an obvious reference to Iran's alleged conspiracies and attempts to army separatists and rebels.  General Muhsen wanted to  send a message to President Hadi  not to even think of sacking him. 

The second message was to Saudi Arabia and Gulf counties that if  he is gone ( Muhsen), Iran will expand more and more in Yemen by supporting Al Hoythi Shiites, and south separatists.  Followers and supporters of Al Houthi  and south separatists  are among those Yemenis who demand day and night that Muhsen must be sacked to achieve the final goals of  the "revolution" . But Muhsen simply says he is now the maker  of the  revolution and the defender of the nation.