Yemen 'Tora Pora' under fire of US drones for first time

Yemen  'Tora Pora' under fire of US drones for first time

By Nasser Arrabyee,18/04/2013

It was  too late to prevent a Yemen Tora Pora from being established when the American and Yemeni governments decided to kill by  drones  an Al Qaeda top leader in a remote mountainous  area  south west of the country.   

Hamid Radman Al Mate'a  along with three others of his fighters were buried as " Martyrs" in their home village of  Mathalab  today (April 18, 2013) after being charred and cut into pieces in their car which was completely burned and destroyed by US drones yesterday Wednesday nearby Al Mate'a's house in this area.

Hamid Radman, was  almost the absolute ruler of Wesab Aali and neighboring areas, about 200 km south west of Yemeni capital Sanaa, for more than three years. He was not ruling by force but by content of local people who were looking for a ruler who can solve their daily  problems with the complete absence of the government. 

"Every body is sad, everybody is asking who would solve our problems now ?," said Ali Abdullah from local hospital of the village of Mathalab where he works as a laboratory technician. 

" Hamid was very popular, everyone would like him and respect him as soon as he sees him let alone if he  solves his  problem," he added. 

"If he was from Al Qaeda, then he made the people like Al Qaeda, he did very well to  improve the bad image of Al Qaeda for some people here who hate Al Qaeda," said Ali who tried to treat Ghazi Al Emad in his hospital before he died of serious injuries by the US drone. 

The Yemeni government ignored and let Hamid do whatever he wants for years not only because Wesab is not important and remote mountainous to it but also the Yemeni government   ignored when it knew that Wesab became the back garden of Al Qaeda fighters in many volatile areas like Abyan and Shabwah.

Al Qaeda used to send tens, if not hundreds, of those injured in Abyan battles of last year to such a  remote and mountainous area for  treatment under the supervision of thief local leader Hamid Radman.

He  was not only a trustworthy local commander of  Al Qaeda but also,  Hamid Radman, was the police man, the judge, the minister of water, education, health, and everything for the people in ignored  Wesab.

Radman's village Mathalab is located in Juar mountain, one of the highest mountains in Yemen. Wesab in general is a series of mountains, the highest ever is Juar which overlooks the Red Sea. Poverty and ignorance and illiteracy  is widely spread in these areas which look like Tora Pora of Afghanistan. 

Although US drones have been sporadically  flying over Wesab for about six months, the local people were surprised by the drone strikes.

"We thought we  are not important enough for American drones," said Abdu Morshid, one of the social figures in the area.

"To mention our name ( Wesab) with drones  is better than no mention at all," said Murshid who talked about a great sufferings of the local population. 

"Killing this man will not solve the problem without solving the development problems of the people who do not care about Al Qaeda and cares only for their food," said Murshid.

Mukaram Ahmed Hamoud, Ghazi Hamoud Al Emad, and Najm Al Deen Al Rai were killed along with Al Qaeda founder in Wesab,   Hamid Radman Al Mate'a late Wednesday in his car after he concluded a big tribal meeting for solving problems of people who were listening and implementing his decisions without any objections.   

Some sympathizes and  of Al Qaeda and observers here in Yemen who know Wesab, say if Al Qaeda takes control of Wesab and its mountains, they would fight hundreds of years without fear.