Thursday 31 January 2013

Two militants, five soldiers killed  in clashes with Al Qaeda 


 Two militants, five soldiers killed  in clashes with Al Qaeda 

Source: Reuters, 31/01/13

Aden-Yemen--Two militants and five soldiers were killed on Thursday during a Yemeni army raid on a mountainous area where insurgents linked to al Qaeda have been holed up since they were driven out of two southern towns last year, military sources said.

Two suspected members of Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law) were also captured in the raid, launched on Thursday morning with army tanks and artillery.

Yemeni military sources said the campaign was aimed at flushing out militants who have taken refuge in caves in the area after they were driven out of Jaar and Zinjibar in a U.S.-backed Yemeni military offensive last year.

Ansar al-Sharia, which is affiliated with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), took advantage of a power vacuum during the 2011 popular protests against former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to seize the two towns.

Most of the militants fled to the desert or into remote mountain regions, where they have been waging hit-and-run attacks on army installations or military personnel.

"Five army soldiers were killed, 10 were injured and one popular committee member was killed," said an army source referring to local militiamen allied with the government.

The United States and its allies are concerned about the presence of AQAP and its affiliates next door to the world's top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, and close to key global shipping lanes.

AQAP is believed by Washington to be the most active branch of the global network and has plotted a number of botched attempts against U.S. targets. U.S. drones have repeatedly launched air strikes against its members.

The Yemeni army is waging a separate operation to the north-east against suspected Islamist militants in al-Bayda province, where three Western hostages are believed to be held.

At least six insurgents and 14 government soldiers have been killed in the fighting since it began on Monday with some 8,000 Yemeni soldiers involved. Eleven of the 14 soldiers died in a suicide bombing outside the town of Radda.

The fighting was suspended on Wednesday while tribal leaders tried to secure the release of the hostages -- a Finnish couple and an Austrian man who were kidnapped by tribesmen last month but were later sold to the insurgents.

(Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf; Writing by Amena Bakr; Editing by Sami Aboudi and Sonya Hepinstall)

Yemen seized  cargo of weapons  from Iran to southern separatists 




Yemen seizes ship with cargo of explosives, weapons coming from Iran

By Nasser Arrabyee, 31/01/2013

The ship seized earlier this week with the weapon cargo belongs to the separatist  southern movement led by the former president Ali Salem Al Baidh, said security sources familiar with the investigations Thursday. 

The investigations revealed that the 8 Yemeni sailors loaded the ship with the weapons from another ship in the sea.  Earlier, the same sailors succeeded to transport similar  weapons and explosives to separatists from Iran, the investigations revealed.

Earlier report from AP: 

       
SANAA, Yemen — Yemeni authorities have seized a ship in the nation’s territorial waters carrying explosives and weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles, the state news agency reported Tuesday. 

The U.S. said the ship came from Iran.

The report said Yemen’s coast guard intercepted the ship last week in an operation coordinated with the U.S. Navy. It did not say why news of the interception was not announced earlier.

The report said the vessel’s eight crew members were Yemenis.

In Washington, Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters that crew members said the ship came from Iran. He said the ship was seen operating “erratically” in Yemeni waters “and so a routine boarding (was) conducted,” with U.S. support. The cargo was inspected, and it included weapons, he said.

Yemen has recently witnessed several cases of illegal arms shipments through its porous shores on the Red and Arabian seas.

Yemen is home to an active branch of al-Qaida, which staged several failed or foiled attacks on U.S. territory over the past several years.

On Tuesday, officials said attacks by Yemen’s air force killed at least 16 al-Qaida militants and wounded dozens of others. The officials said the air force launched several air attacks in central Yemen, where the militants have bases.

In another operation, the Yemen military freed 13 soldiers captured by al-Qaida Monday night. The soldiers were on their way to transport troops and a military ambulance when they lost their way, straying into al-Qaida-held territory, where they were captured.

The Yemeni officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

___

Additional reporting by AP National Security Writer Robert Burns in Washington.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sunday 27 January 2013

Yemeni faces death for converting to Christianity  

Ex-diplomat loses last-minute bid to avoid deportation to Yemen, where me might be killed for converting to Christianity  Source: OttawaCitizen, BY HUGH ADAMI,28/01/2013  Abdul-wahab Zabeba is on his way back to the Islamic state of Yemen, where he faces the possibility of persecution or even death for converting to Christianity three years ago.

 An eleventh-hour appeal to the Federal Court to grant him stay of removal was dismissed Friday afternoon as Zabeba, 55, and his son, Mahir, 20, waited anxiously at the Ottawa airport for word that they might avoid deportation, at least for the time being.

 His lawyer, Karima Karmali, who took over his case last week, applied for a temporary stay of removal so the matter could be reviewed. The application was based on new evidence showing Zabeba would be in extreme danger in Yemen after word of the former diplomat’s conversion spread through the country.

A translated Toronto newspaper report about Zabeba’s case appeared on various Yemeni online news sites in recent months. Father and son were scheduled to fly from Ottawa to Montreal Friday night, and then board a plane for Qatar. They were to arrive in Yemen Sunday. Though Mahir remains a Muslim and isn’t thought to be in any danger, Zabeba fears he could be killed as soon as their plane touches down in Sanaa, the capital.


Apostasy is considered a crime in Yemen, punishable by death, though immigration officials believe the country no longer practises that law. Noomane Raboudi, a University of Ottawa professor and Middle East expert, told the Citizen last week that Zabeba would likely be killed for converting “to the religion of the enemy.” Rev. Fred Demaray, the Baptist pastor who baptized Zabeba in February 2010, has written Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. He wants Canada to make sure that Yemeni authorities monitor Zabeba’s safety. Zabeba also believes he is in trouble with his country for leaving his diplomatic post at the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, D.C., in 2008, to come to Canada. He sought refugee status for political persecution shortly after arriving at the Detroit-Windsor border crossing. That was denied by the Immigration and Refugee Board on Sept. 1., 2009. The board did not believe he was in any danger. Zabeba began attending services at First Baptist Church at Somerset and Elgin streets around the same time, and was baptized about five months later. In the summer of 2010, he was given a pre-removal risk assessment to determine if he faced any dangers in Yemen. The risk assessment officer did not believe Zabeba faced any serious trouble either, despite his recent conversion. The Federal Court eventually ordered another assessment, but Zabeba was rejected again. The Federal Court also allowed Zabeba to apply for judicial review, but his application was turned down last summer. Zabeba and his son slept at First Baptist Church Thursday night.

Saturday 26 January 2013

Yemen bans  guns and  motorbikes to protect UNSC meeting in Sanaa


Yemen bans  guns and  motorbikes to protect UNSC meeting in Sanaa

By Nasser Arrabyee,26/01/2103 

Yemeni government has taken exceptional security measures for security a special meeting of the UN Security Council in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday January 28th, 2013.
The special meeting of UNSC in Sanaa aims to support the new President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi who is facing a lot of  political, economic  and security challenges.

The interior ministry banned guns and motorbikes for three days starting from 8 pm tonight Saturday January 26 until the end of Monday. 

A total of 24 security and military units (tens of thousands) are protect the delegation of UN Security Council since the moment they arrive at the airport until they leave the country after the meeting on the same day Monday, according to a statement by the ministry of interior. 


Friday 25 January 2013

Yemen Seizes New Turkish-Made Gun Cargo



Yemen Seizes New Turkish-Made Gun Cargo

 Source: Yemen Post Staff, 26/01/2013

The Yemeni authorities seized on Thursday a new Turkish-made arms cargo inside a container which was anchored and have been watched at the Aden port since mid-November. 

Head of the customs authority Muhammad Zimam said the cargo included scores of boxes containing machine guns that were produced and shipped in Turkey, the state news agency Saba said. 

“According to preliminary information, the cargo included about 3780 machine guns, T14 type,” he was quoted as saying. 

The guns were registered as plastic materials but the inspection systems revealed how the guns were smuggled in a very complicated way, he added. 
The container was seized in mid-November after it appeared suspicious, Zimam said, pointing out the authorities have been watching it and waiting for its owner to submit his cargo papers for the past few months.

“We were informed the cargo was shipped for a military service. Then we coordinated with the intelligence to open it and found the guns”. 

The cargo was part of a string of weapon seizures in recent months including those coming from Turkey and China and which reportedly were said to have been shipped for violent groups in the country. 

Also, it comes amid thriving arms and drugs trade and smuggling because of the alarming security disorder which casts a cloud on the political transition in Yemen.


Thursday 24 January 2013

No. 2 Leader of Al Qaeda in Yemen Is Killed


No. 2 Leader of Al Qaeda in Yemen Is Killed

By Mark Mazzetti, New York Times, 25/01/2013


WASHINGTON — Said Ali al-Shihri, the second-ranking operative in Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, died recently from wounds he received during a “counterterrorism operation” late last year, Yemen’s government announced Thursday.



Mr. Shihri, who fled Saudi Arabia in 2008 after taking part in a Saudi government rehabilitation program for jihadis, was a principal figure in engineering the rise of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula over the past five years.

The Yemeni government statement gave no specifics about how Mr. Shihri was killed, although both the C.I.A. and the Pentagon in the last several months have escalated America’s clandestine campaign against militants in Yemen with a series of drone strikes. The Yemeni statement said Mr. Shihri had been wounded in a strike on Nov. 28 in Sadah Province in northern Yemen and was buried in an undisclosed location.

A C.I.A. spokesman declined to comment on the death of Mr. Shihri, who was a Saudi citizen.

Mr. Shihri was one of the first inmates of the American prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. He was brought to the prison in January 2002 after being wounded in an airstrike in Afghanistan two months earlier. He spent five years at Guantánamo before American officials released him into the Saudi program, which the kingdom’s ruling family set up to persuade jihadis to denounce violence and integrate into Saudi society.

But he fled Saudi Arabia the next year, and American officials were puzzled about his whereabouts until Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula issued a statement on the Internet in early 2009 saying that Mr. Shihri was the group’s new deputy commander.

Yemeni officials have blamed Mr. Shihri for a number of terrorist attacks in the country, and the statement on Thursday said that he “oversaw military operations against the Yemeni military” in Abyan Province, in the southern part of the country.

Yemen’s government allows the United States to carry out secret strikes inside the country, but it usually tries to mask the United States’ role, often by saying that the operations are conducted by the Yemeni military.

Monday 21 January 2013

The 3rd top Al Qaeda leader might have been killed by drones



The 3rd top Al Qaeda leader might have been killed by drones

Most fresh drone attack kills 4 terrorists, death toll 16

Fresh US drone attacks kill about 3 raising death toll to 12 terrorists  over 24 hours

By Nasser Arrabyee, 21/01/2013

The 3rd  top leader of Al Qaeda Kasem Al Raimi, alias Abu Hurirah Al Sanani, might have been killed by the US drone attacks of  today Monday in Mareb, east of Yemen, said sources close to Al Qaeda operatives. 

Earlier in the day, a  total of 4 Al Qaeda operatives were killed by an air strike ( US drones) in the area of Al Taif in the high way between the capital Sanaa and Mareb, a local official was quoted by the defense ministry website as saying.

"The strike targeted the terrorists while driving their "Vitara" car," said the official. 

Late Sunday, at least three Al Qaeda operatives were killed by fresh US drone attacks raise the death toll to 12 in the eastern province of Mareb by drones during the last 24 hours.

The new raid targeted a car carrying Al Qaeda operatives in the area of Al Kanaes ( Khanaka) in Abeidah valley Sunday afternoon said local sources.
The sources said that those killed today were not from Mareb, they might have been foreigners or Yemenis from other provinces.

"If they were from Mareb, from Abiedah like yesterday, we would definitely who they were very quickly, now family from Abiedah at least said so far they had someone died," said Abdul Sallam from Abiedah.


A total of 9 charred dead bodies believed to Al Qaeda operatives were buried early morning  Sunday  in two separate places  of Abeidah valley in the eastern province of Mareb, said residents who attended burials.

"The  dead bodies were buried together, because they were chopped into pieces and were so charred that they can not be recognized," said Saeed Al Yousifi from Abiedah. 

Each group was buried nearby the place where the strike happened.  Four were buried in Al Masil and five were buried in Al Shabwan.

The 9 Al Qaeda operatives were killed after US drones implemented at least 4 raids on three different places in the same area of Abiedah valley, where Al Qaeda is always active, late at night of Saturday.

In the first attack, the missiles of the drones hit an orange farm in Al Masil area instead of hitting a car carrying Al Qaeda operatives which was driving nearby the farm.
No one was hurt in the farm but some damages were inflicted on the farm and residents were terrified because the attacks were so close to their houses villages. 

In about an hour after the first raid which happened about 930 pm, the US drones hit and destroyed a car in All Rashid area which is not very far from Al Masil, and both of them are in Abeidah valley. In the car, Ismail Saeed Jamil from Abeidah and three others were killed. 

Locals said that two of these killed with Jamil were Saudi nationals.The slain  Ismail Saeed Jamil was the brother of Al Qaeda leader Ali Saeed Jamil who was killed in Abyan in the middle 2011.

For the third and fourth strikes, they targeted a car in Al Shabwan killing the Al Qaeda leader Ahmed Hassan Gharib and four other aides who were not identified because they were so charred that they can not be recognized. 

Sunday 20 January 2013

Most fresh drone attack kills 4 terrorists, death toll 16





By Nasser Arrabyee, 21/01/2013

Fresh US drone attacks kill about 3 raising death toll to 12 terrorists  over 24 hours

A total of 4 Al Qaeda operatives were killed by an air strike ( US drones) in the area of Al Taif in the high way between the capital Sanaa and Mareb, a local official was quoted by the defense ministry website as saying early Monday. 

"The strike targeted the terrorists while driving their "Vitara" car," said the official. 

Late Sunday, at least three Al Qaeda operatives were killed by fresh US drone attacks raise the death toll to 12 in the eastern province of Mareb by drones during the last 24 hours.

The new raid targeted a car carrying Al Qaeda operatives in the area of Al Kanaes ( Khanaka) in Abeidah valley Sunday afternoon said local sources.
The sources said that those killed today were not from Mareb, they might have been foreigners or Yemenis from other provinces.

"If they were from Mareb, from Abiedah like yesterday, we would definitely who they were very quickly, now family from Abiedah at least said so far they had someone died," said Abdul Sallam from Abiedah.


A total of 9 charred dead bodies believed to Al Qaeda operatives were buried early morning  Sunday  in two separate places  of Abeidah valley in the eastern province of Mareb, said residents who attended burials.

"The  dead bodies were buried together, because they were chopped into pieces and were so charred that they can not be recognized," said Saeed Al Yousifi from Abiedah. 

Each group was buried nearby the place where the strike happened.  Four were buried in Al Masil and five were buried in Al Shabwan.

The 9 Al Qaeda operatives were killed after US drones implemented at least 4 raids on three different places in the same area of Abiedah valley, where Al Qaeda is always active, late at night of Saturday.

In the first attack, the missiles of the drones hit an orange farm in Al Masil area instead of hitting a car carrying Al Qaeda operatives which was driving nearby the farm.
No one was hurt in the farm but some damages were inflicted on the farm and residents were terrified because the attacks were so close to their houses villages. 

In about an hour after the first raid which happened about 930 pm, the US drones hit and destroyed a car in All Rashid area which is not very far from Al Masil, and both of them are in Abeidah valley. In the car, Ismail Saeed Jamil from Abeidah and three others were killed. 

Locals said that two of these killed with Jamil were Saudi nationals.The slain  Ismail Saeed Jamil was the brother of Al Qaeda leader Ali Saeed Jamil who was killed in Abyan in the middle 2011.

For the third and fourth strikes, they targeted a car in Al Shabwan killing the Al Qaeda leader Ahmed Hassan Gharib and four other aides who were not identified because they were so charred that they can not be recognized. 

13 Al Qaeda Operatives killed in explosives' house


13 Al Qaeda Operatives killed in explosives' house
By Nasser Arrabyee,20/01/2013

At least 13 Al Qaeda operatives were killed after a mistake happened while preparing explosives in a house Radaa east of Yemen, said residents who saw the house exploding at night of Saturday.

The house is located at the village of Serm, in Al Manaseh district, Radaa, Al Baidha province, about 200 km south- east of the capital Sanaa.

The belongs the tribal leader Ahmed Abdullah Dhaif Allah Al Dhahab, nicknamed as Al Raje'e.

"All of a sudden we heard the explosions in the house, we do not know what happened," said one of the residents in the village.

Some said Al Qaeda were preparing a car bomb inside the house. 

Al Qaeda operative in Al Manaseh, one of the growing strongholds, surrounded the house immediately and prevented any one to get in, but  the news got to every one in the village  about how many were killed and injured today Sunday when the dead bodies were taken to the mosque for prayers and then  to the cemetery for burial.

A total of 13 dead body were buried today in the area according to many locals who witnessed the funeral.  Local sources said they saw Al Qaeda operatives taking injured people to a hospital in Radaa. 

Earlier in the day, the state-run news agency Saba said 10 terrorists were killed in a house in the district of Al Manaseh while Al Qaeda men were  preparing explosives.

Meanwhile, flames and  clouds of smokes were see rising over the house of Anwar Al Anbari, one of  Al Qaeda leaders in Modyah, and continued until late today Sunday. Redwan Yaslem, from Mudyah said the reason was electricity short circuit. Anwar is the brother of Jamil Al Anbari who was killed by a US drone attack in 2011 in Modyah.

Fresh US drone attacks kill about 3 raising death toll to 12 terrorists  over 24 hours


Fresh US drone attacks kill about 3 raising death toll to 12 terrorists  over 24 hours

By Nasser Arrabyee,20/01/2013

At least three Al Qaeda operatives were killed by fresh US drone attacks raise the death toll to 12 in the eastern province of Mareb by drones during the last 24 hours.

The new raid targeted a car carrying Al Qaeda operatives in the area of Al Kanaes ( Khanaka) in Abeidah valley Sunday afternoon said local sources.
The sources said that those killed today were not from Mareb, they might have been foreigners or Yemenis from other provinces.

"If they were from Mareb, from Abiedah like yesterday, we would definitely who they were very quickly, now family from Abiedah at least said so far they had someone died," said Abdul Sallam from Abiedah.


A total of 9 charred dead bodies believed to Al Qaeda operatives were buried early morning  Sunday  in two separate places  of Abeidah valley in the eastern province of Mareb, said residents who attended burials.

"The  dead bodies were buried together, because they were chopped into pieces and were so charred that they can not be recognized," said Saeed Al Yousifi from Abiedah. 

Each group was buried nearby the place where the strike happened.  Four were buried in Al Masil and five were buried in Al Shabwan.

The 9 Al Qaeda operatives were killed after US drones implemented at least 4 raids on three different places in the same area of Abiedah valley, where Al Qaeda is always active, late at night of Saturday.

In the first attack, the missiles of the drones hit an orange farm in Al Masil area instead of hitting a car carrying Al Qaeda operatives which was driving nearby the farm.
No one was hurt in the farm but some damages were inflicted on the farm and residents were terrified because the attacks were so close to their houses villages. 

In about an hour after the first raid which happened about 930 pm, the US drones hit and destroyed a car in All Rashid area which is not very far from Al Masil, and both of them are in Abeidah valley. In the car, Ismail Saeed Jamil from Abeidah and three others were killed. 

Locals said that two of these killed with Jamil were Saudi nationals.The slain  Ismail Saeed Jamil was the brother of Al Qaeda leader Ali Saeed Jamil who was killed in Abyan in the middle 2011.

For the third and fourth strikes, they targeted a car in Al Shabwan killing the Al Qaeda leader Ahmed Hassan Gharib and four other aides who were not identified because they were so charred that they can not be recognized. 

Sanaa-based NDI denies  work suspension and denies any  threats



Sanaa-based NDI denies  work suspension and denies any  threats

By Nasser Arrabyee, 20/01/2013

A senior official from Sanaa-based NDI said they did not suspend work and they did not receive any threats.

The deputy director of NDI, Murad Zafer, said they are working today Sunday as normal  and that they have  no plans to suspend work in the future. 

Earlier in the day, sources said the the American National Democratic Institute ( NDI) suspended work until further notice.

Some staff members said that they were told to stay at home until further notice. The staff expected to stay one week at least before they are told to resume work. 

The suspension of the NDI came after religious scholars issued Fatwas that the NDI is working against the nation and its staff are spying for the enemies of the Umma, in an obvious reference to United States and the West in general.


The inciting fatwas, published in many extremist Islamic websites, were considered as death threats especially now that the drone attacks are in rise in the areas where IND has a lot of development activities like Mareb, Al Jawf.

The suspension of NDI also came hours after at least four  drone attacks killed 9 Al Qaeda operatives in the eastern province of Mareb.

A total of 9 charred dead bodies believed to Al Qaeda operatives were buried early morning  Sunday  in two separate places  of Abeidah valley in the eastern province of Mareb, said residents who attended burials.

"The  dead bodies were buried together, because they were chopped into pieces and were so charred that they can not be recognized," said Saeed Al Yousifi from Abiedah. 

Each group was buried nearby the place where the strike happened.  Four were buried in Al Masil and five were buried in Al Shabwan.

The 9 Al Qaeda operatives were killed after US drones implemented at least 4 raids on three different places in the same area of Abiedah valley, where Al Qaeda is always active, late at night of Saturday.

In the first attack, the missiles of the drones hit an orange farm in Al Masil area instead of hitting a car carrying Al Qaeda operatives which was driving nearby the farm.
No one was hurt in the farm but some damages were inflicted on the farm and residents were terrified because the attacks were so close to their houses villages. 

In about an hour after the first raid which happened about 930 pm, the US drones hit and destroyed a car in All Rashid area which is not very far from Al Masil, and both of them are in Abeidah valley. In the car, Ismail Saeed Jamil from Abeidah and three others were killed. 

Locals said that two of these killed with Jamil were Saudi nationals.The slain  Ismail Saeed Jamil was the brother of Al Qaeda leader Ali Saeed Jamil who was killed in Abyan in the middle 2011.

For the third and fourth strikes, they targeted a car in Al Shabwan killing the Al Qaeda leader Ahmed Hassan Gharib and four other aides who were not identified because they were so charred that they can not be recognized. 

Sanaa-based American NDI suspended work after threats and increasing  drone attacks


Al least 4 US drone attacks kill 9 Al Qaeda operatives

By Nasser Arrabyee, 20/01/2013

The Sanaa-based office of the American National Democratic Institute ( NDI) suspended work until further notice, said staff members who were told today Sunday to go home about two hours after they arrived in the office. 

The staff said that they were told to stay at home until further notice. The staff expected to stay one week at least before they are told to resume work. The suspension of the NDI came after religious scholars issued Fatwas that the NDI is working against the nation and its staff are spying for the enemies of the Umma, in an obvious reference to United States and the West in general.


The inciting fatwas, published in many extremist Islamic websites, were considered as death threats especially now that the drone attacks are in rise in the areas where IND has a lot of development activities like Mareb, Al Jawf.

The suspension of NDI also came hours after at least four  drone attacks killed 9 Al Qaeda operatives in the eastern province of Mareb.

A total of 9 charred dead bodies believed to Al Qaeda operatives were buried early morning  Sunday  in two separate places  of Abeidah valley in the eastern province of Mareb, said residents who attended burials.

"The  dead bodies were buried together, because they were chopped into pieces and were so charred that they can not be recognized," said Saeed Al Yousifi from Abiedah. 

Each group was buried nearby the place where the strike happened.  Four were buried in Al Masil and five were buried in Al Shabwan.

The 9 Al Qaeda operatives were killed after US drones implemented at least 4 raids on three different places in the same area of Abiedah valley, where Al Qaeda is always active, late at night of Saturday.

In the first attack, the missiles of the drones hit an orange farm in Al Masil area instead of hitting a car carrying Al Qaeda operatives which was driving nearby the farm.
No one was hurt in the farm but some damages were inflicted on the farm and residents were terrified because the attacks were so close to their houses villages. 

In about an hour after the first raid which happened about 930 pm, the US drones hit and destroyed a car in All Rashid area which is not very far from Al Masil, and both of them are in Abeidah valley. In the car, Ismail Saeed Jamil from Abeidah and three others were killed. 

Locals said that two of these killed with Jamil were Saudi nationals.The slain  Ismail Saeed Jamil was the brother of Al Qaeda leader Ali Saeed Jamil who was killed in Abyan in the middle 2011.

For the third and fourth strikes, they targeted a car in Al Shabwan killing the Al Qaeda leader Ahmed Hassan Gharib and four other aides who were not identified because they were so charred that they can not be recognized. 

Wednesday 16 January 2013

Assassinations continue, rescue operation for Western hostages soon



Assassinations continue, rescue operation for Western hostages soon

By Nasser Arrabyee,16/01/2013

The colonel Abdullah Al Mushki, deputy director of security in Dhammar, was shot dead by a gunman riding a motor cycle nearby his house, said security sources and relatives Wednesday. 

This is the 4th security official to be assassinated in the city of Dhammar over the last few months, by gunmen believed to be Al Qaeda members.

Dhammar, 100 km south of the capital Sanaa, is neighboring the city of Radaa, where Al Qaeda established recently a new stronghold in the area of Masaneh, Kayfeh. 

The brigade 1 of the Special Operations, arrived in Dhammar this week with the purpose of implementing special operations against Al Qaeda in Radaa, and at least stop its expansion in the middle of the country.

The Special Forces are under the leadership of brigadier Mohammed Ali Al Makdashi, said the sources on Wednesday. 

The operations to be implemented would include a special operation to rescue three Western hostages, two Finns and one Austrian, who were kidnapped from the middle of the capital Sanaa last December.

The hostages, Finnish couple, and Austrian man, are  hidden somewhere in Al Masaneh area of Kayfeh, where US drones hit many times over the last few months killing many Al Qaeda operatives including 10 civilians who were killed by mistake while being close to the targets.

Some locals in Dhammar said Wednesday that there are exceptional security and military  measures and movements in the city especially after the arrival of the special forces.

Meanwhile, lieutenant1  Ghalib Husseini, died on Wednesday in Hais by poison, with his friends  believing that he was assassinated.  

Lieutenant Husseini  was the one who discovered the smuggled Turkish weapon shipment in Hais of the coastal province of Hodeidah  late last year. 

President Hadi honored  and rewarded Husseini and three other soldiers who were working in the check point by promoting them to higher ranks and giving each one of them one million Yemeni rials, that's about 5000US dollars. 

Unconfirmed reports say that  the three Western hostages were kidnapped at the beginning by tribal businessmen who were behind the Turkish weapons shipment (confiscated now). 

When the  tribal businessmen failed to negotiate with the government about the hostages and weapons, they ( kidnappers) sold the hostages to Al Qaeda  in Radaa for 30 million Yemeni Rials.

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Al Qaeda holding 3 western hostages, Finnish couple and Austrian


Al Qaeda holding 3 western hostages, Finnish couple and Austrian

15/01/2013

Source: Reuters, and   @narrabyee: @BaFana3 Finns and Austrian are in hands of Al Qaeda now as far as I know from tribal sources. Hideout maybe in Sanaa itself!

SANAA-  A Finnish couple and an Austrian man abducted in Yemen last month are being held by members of al Qaeda after being sold to the militant group by tribesmen, a senior Yemeni official said on Tuesday.

The three Westerners, who were studying Arabic in Yemen, were snatched by gunmen in the capital Sanaa on December 21. 

An Interior Ministry official had said they were being held by tribesmen who were demanding a ransom.

"The tribesmen have sold the three abductees to elements from al Qaeda organization and they were transferred to Bayda province (in the south)," the official told Reuters.

"There are negotiations to pay a ransom and free them."

Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was quoted as saying on Monday that the three Westerners were kidnapped by "terrorist groups", state news agency Saba reported.

 Hadi's comments were made during a meeting with the Finnish and Austrian ambassadors, Saba said.

The kidnapping of Westerners occurs sporadically in Yemen, mostly by tribesmen seeking bargaining clout in disputes with the authorities or by al Qaeda militants and their sympathizers.

Lawlessness in the Arabian Peninsula state has alarmed its neighbor, top world oil exporter Saudi Arabia, and the United States, which views Yemen as a frontline in its struggle against al Qaeda and its affiliates.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which operates in the country, is seen by U.S. officials as the most dangerous offshoot of the global militant network.

There have been dozens of killings of security and military officials by suspected al Qaeda gunmen in the past year, suggesting AQAP remains resilient despite increased U.S. drone strikes and a government military onslaught.

(Reporting by Mohamemd Ghobari; Writing by Rania El Gamal; editing by Sami Aboudi and Janet Lawrence)

Monday 14 January 2013

 UNHCR calls for more support for south IDPs



Source: press release from Sanaa-based office, 14/01/2103

UNHCR Representative: Supporting IDPs who have returned to Abyan is a top priority

Aden, Yemen - UNHCR’s Representative in Yemen, Mr. Naveed Hussain, visited Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan Governorate on 12 January 2013 to assess the overall return situation on the ground as well as UNHCR’s protection and assistance activities in the area.

 During his visit, he reaffirmed UNHCR’s commitment to support the government in assisting internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees. He also noted that greater emphasis must now be placed on early recovery and rebuilding infrastructure in Abyan.


Since July 2012, as hostilities subsided and conditions began to improve, more than 100,000 IDPs that had fled to Aden and other southern governorates have returned to their homes and begun to rebuild their lives in Abyan.
In his visit, the Representative noted the positive developments in Zinjibar including the start of rehabilitation of water and electricity services, provision of basic care in hospitals, availability of transportation and the re-opening of small markets and some commercial activities. However, Mr. Hussian noted that much more resources are needed.
“We must work together to support the efforts of the government in Abyan in assisting the returnees and those affected by the conflict in rebuilding their lives. People have shown a lot of courage to return, and it is our responsibility not to fail them,” said Mr. Hussain. “Currently Abyan is a top priority for us.”
UNHCR has been conducting field visits to Abyan on a regular basis and continues to advocate to the government and international community to invest and facilitate more development and rehabilitation work to support the sustainability of IDP returns.
On 30 December 2012, UNHCR airlifted from Kenya emergency relief items including blankets, plastic sheets and sleeping mats for distribution to meet the immediate needs of the returnees in Abyan. To date, UNHCR has distributed non-food items to some 70,400 returnees and shelter kits to more than 52,800 returnees in Abyan.  The airlift and further assistance arriving by sea over the next three months will assist another 44,000 of the most vulnerable IDPs to start anew in Abyan. In addition, UNHCR has been working on a number of rehabilitation, health and water projects.  
As the lead international humanitarian agency responding to conflict-affected IDPs’ and returnees’ protection and shelter needs, UNHCR has been actively delivering protection and assistance on the ground since the IDP crisis first began in Abyan in May 2011.

New assassinations  foiled by arresting 2 Al Qaeda operatives



New assassinations  foiled by arresting 2 Al Qaeda operatives, 
10 on trial today for massacre of Sabeen Square

By Nasser Arrabyee,14/10/2013
Two Al Qaeda operatives were arrested with a quantity of explosives and weapons that were supposed to be used in new assassinations, said security sources Monday.

 Counterterrorism forces raided an Al Qaeda hideout out at 2:30 AM in Jader, 14 Kilometers north of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. Authorities confiscated improvised explosive devises, electronic circuits, suicide vests, wires, batteries, antennas, cell phones, magnetic plates, mortar shells and bomb making equipment.

In addition, security forces detained two operatives who were present at the scene and identified other members of the terror cell during the raid. It was also discovered that the hideout had assassination guide books, target lists and paper clippings of articles tracking the series of assassinations that killed Yemeni officers.

 One of the cell members impersonated a police officer to rent the house four months ago.  The cell also used motorbikes for transportation. It is worth noting that assassins riding motorbikes have killed 40 officers and injured dozens in Yemen during 2012.

Meanwhile, a total of 10 Al Qaeda suspects were put on trial Monday for charges of being involved in a terrorist operation that  resulted in killing   and injuring about 300 soldiers in a parade last May.

Sunday 13 January 2013

The Arab Uprisings: An Introduction

The Arab Uprisings: An Introduction

Source:  Fair Observer, 13/01/2013

http://www.fairobserver.com/node/34506

The Arab Uprisings are a seminal moment in world history. For years, Arab regimes have expropriated power and wealth from their people. In the age of the Internet, exploding populations, and greater aspirations, these regimes have become increasingly incongruous. 

People, regardless of their race, religion, gender or culture, do not want to live in fear. They do not want a midnight knock on their doors. They want basic freedoms, education for their children, decent jobs, peace, and prosperity. In short, people everywhere want a life of dignity, and the Arab Uprisings are the Arab people’s struggle for such a life.

Since Mohammed Bouazizi's self-immolation set off a sequence of events, a body of literature on the Arab Uprisings has been produced. Most of this analysis has been thoughtful and thorough, covering everything from the Islamist upsurge to the economic downturn.

At Fair Observer, our goal is to help you make sense of the world. This book is our enterprise to ensure that you understand the uprisings better. The Arab Uprisings: An Introduction provides an accessible overview for any curious mind. 

Abul-Hasanat Siddique and Casper Wuite, the authors, seek to explain what happened, why it happened, what is different, what lies ahead, and what can be done.

The first excerpt, "The Rise of Islamists", from the book is available at Fair Observer. If you would like to republish, please do so and credit Fair Observer as the original publisher and include a hyperlink.

The Arab Uprisings: An Introduction is available at Amazon and the SlimBooks store. A paperback version will soon be released.

Saturday 12 January 2013

A Guantanamo Prisoner Is Buried as New Details About His Death Begin to Surface




Source: Truth-out, By Jason Leopold,12/01/2013

The US military aircraft carrying the cargo is only used for missions like this.

Muhammed Farhan Latif and other members of his family waited at a gatehouse at Al-Dailami Air Base in Sana'a, Yemen's capital, for the plane to arrive from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. It touched down at around 9 PM on Saturday, December 15.

The special security detail assigned to the mission unloaded the cargo - a plain aluminum box - from the aircraft. A man and a woman from the US Embassy entered the gatehouse. They had papers they wanted Muhammed to sign, but they were written in English and Muhammed doesn't speak the language.

Muhammed requested that an interpreter who accompanied him to the air base translate the documents, but the embassy officials rebuffed him, so he declined to sign the paperwork.

The aluminum box was loaded into an ambulance destined for the police hospital. Muhammed, his family and the interpreter followed the vehicle.

Nearly 11 years to the day after he was sold into a "piece of hell"- the US military base at Guantanamo Bay - for a $5,000 bounty, Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif was finally home. The mystery of how he died alone in his cell remains locked in the files of Gitmo. The confusing and often conflicting details have trickled out since his family was advised of his death in September. First it appeared to be suicide, then it wasn't suicide, then suicide again, then "acute pneumonia" played a role. 

A statement issued by United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) December 15, the day Latif’s remains were repatriated, however, was definite about the manner of his death.

"The medical examiner concluded that the death was a suicide. Mr. Latif died of a self-induced overdose of prescription medication," the statement said. 

Now an inquiry by United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has also found that some of the prison's standard operating procedures were not being followed and the failures played a role in facilitating Adnan's death.

Adnan never belonged at Guantanamo. Two administrations determined as much over a long and tortuous decade. But neurological damage he suffered in a 1994 car accident put him in the wrong place at the worst possible time. 

Muhammed wasn't sure if he and his family would ever get the opportunity to bury and properly mourn Adnan, who left their village near the city of Taiz in the summer of 2001 in search of medical care that was largely unavailable in Yemen. 

On December 13, a representative of the Yemeni human rights organization HOOD passed a message from Yemen's Ministry of Human Rights to Adnan's family which said that his remains would be returned in two days.

So Muhammed and other member of his family of drove five hours to Sana'a to the Ministry of Justice to meet with the chief prosecutor to obtain permission to go to the hospital to see their brother's body.

Before they traveled to Al-Dailami Air Base, they stopped over at the home of Minister of the Interior Abdul Qader Qahtan to demand a copy of Adnan's autopsy report. The minister, reading from what Muhammed believes was a ten-page translation of the document, said Adnan died "from an overdose of medication he had smuggled into his cell."

"We would like a copy of this," Muhammed told the minister.

"Soon," he replied.

At the hospital, Muhammed was led into a room by police investigators and a medical examiner to identify Adnan's remains. The box was opened. Adnan was wrapped in three layers of shroud.

"I recognized the body of my brother," Muhammed told Truthout, speaking through an interpreter. "But with great difficulty. His eyes were missing and his body was in an advanced stage of disintegration. Still, I could tell it was Adnan."

Muhammed requested the medical examiner perform another autopsy on his brother. The medical examiner agreed. Muhammed and his brothers waited in another room. An hour or so later, the medical examiner returned.

"He was very upset," Muhammed said. "He told me he could not perform another autopsy because his organs were removed and the body was in bad shape."

Adnan's body was held for three months at Ramstein Air Base. Todd Breasseale, a Pentagon spokesman, told Truthout the "entirety" of Adnan's remains were returned to Yemen "for disposition."

"The condition of Mr. Latif's body is not at all dissimilar from the condition of any number of post-mortem autopsies, especially given how long ago the autopsy took place," Breasseale said. "The US returned his remains complete, though to be sure, after months of our adherence to the customs and practices of his religious faith and culture (he was not embalmed), the condition of the body presents in such a way as to make yet another autopsy difficult. While it is standard practice for small, if not trace samples of tissue and organs to be retained by the medical examiner, no complete organs remain in US possession."

Truthout spoke with the Yemeni medical examiner, Dr. Mokhtar Ahmed Alhrani, through an interpreter. He said he was unable to perform a second autopsy "because of the urgency shown by the relatives of the deceased for the burial of the body." 

"Therefore, we were unable to repeat the autopsy or take sample for pathological and poison examination," Alhrani said.

He added that he is still trying to gain access to Latif's autopsy report, "which we were able to skim parts of in a hurried manner" and is also preparing his own medical report that he will submit to "the concerned authorities in Yemen."

At around 2:30 AM on the morning of December 16, Muhammed and his brothers left Sana'a and drove back to Taiz.

Although Muhammed had previously told Truthout that he would not accept his brother's remains without first receiving a complete copy of his autopsy report, he changed his mind after seeing his brother lying in a box.

"I could not leave him," Muhammed said.

Adnan's remains were brought into the Shawlak mosque in Taiz just before noon prayer. Hundreds of people were in attendance for what turned out to be his funeral. [Click here to watch a powerful New York Times Op-Doc directed by filmmaker Laura Poitras on Adnan Latif's tragic return home.] 

Adnan's 14-year-old son, Ezzi Deen, who had not seen his father since he was a toddler, looked down at his father's remains and wept loudly.

"You told me in your last letter, you're coming to me and you will never leave me again, father," Ezzi Deen said, according to Yemen journalist Nasser Arrabyee, who attended the funeral and reported on the procession.

Adnan's mother did not attend the funeral. Muhammed told her the condition of her son's remains would destroy her. Since his burial, she has been bedridden and refuses to speak with anyone, Muhammed said.

Arrabyee reported that Adnan's father, Farhan Abdul Latif, told villagers who attended the funeral, "We are patient, and we are waiting for Allah's justice and punishments for America's crimes."

Arrabyee reported that a caravan of mourners took Latif's remains from the mosque to be buried at a cemetery for martyrs.

Lingering Questions

Back in the US, meanwhile, questions about Latif’s death go unanswered.

At first, the military medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on Latif believed the Guantanamo prisoner's sudden death was the result of "acute pneumonia."

Joint Task Force-Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) and SOUTHCOM officials reacted with surprise upon learning that that the high-profile prisoner, who was found face down on the floor of his cell on the afternoon of September 8, had developed the respiratory condition.

After all, Latif was medically cleared for transfer from the detention hospital where he was housed with hunger strikers to a punishment wing in Camp 5, a maximum security section of the prison, for allegedly throwing a "cocktail" of a mixture of bodily fluids at a guard a day or two prior to his death, according to unclassified notes Latif's attorney provided to Truthout.


Locations where Latif was held prior to his death in September.

Apparently, no one at Guantanamo was aware that Latif was suffering from acute pneumonia, one miltary official told Truthout.

Dr. Steven M. Simons, a pulmonary disease specialist in private practice in Beverly Hills, California, who was formerly chief of staff at Cedars-Sinai Health System and is also a clinical professor of medicine at the UCLA School of Medicine, said that in his experience, the majority of cases of pneumonia discovered at autopsy in patients who die of drug overdose are caused by aspiration.

"Aspiration means that material either from the mouth or stomach gets down into the lungs because the person has lost the ability to protect their airway, usually owing to a depressed level of consciousness secondary to the drug," Simons said.

As a frequent hunger striker who was routinely force-fed with the nutritional supplement Ensure, Latif was at risk of developing pneumonia due to the practice of force-feeding. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) noted in an April 2009 letter to then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that the "debilitating risks of force-feeding include major infections, pneumonia and collapsed lungs."

It is unknown whether Latif, although housed with hunger strikers at the prison's detention hospital prior to his death, was on hunger strike at the time immediately leading up to his death, and if so, whether he was force-fed. JTF-GTMO spokespeople would not comment on the matter.

About two weeks after the completion of the autopsy report, the medical examiner concluded Latif's death wasn't the result of acute pneumonia, but that the pneumonia was instead a "contributing factor" to his death.

The toxicology test results the medical examiner received showed massive quantities of psychotropic medication Latif had been prescribed in his bloodstream, according to US officials who were briefed about the autopsy report, which remains under wraps. These officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

The only logical conclusion, according to the medical examiner, was that Latif committed suicide. But Capt. Robert Durand, a JTF-GTMO spokesman, told Truthout in October 2012 that although Latif "had a history of self-harm acts," he "generally refrained from activities which would potentially cause his death" and "his recent actions, activities and statements to therapists indicated that he did not appear to want to end his life."

SOPs Not Followed

Working from the autopsy report's conclusion that Latif died of a drug overdose, investigators with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and a SOUTHCOM Commander's inquiry referred to as an AR 15-6 started to probe how he was able to accumulate so much medication and successfully avoid detection by surveillance cameras and by guards who check on prisoners, at minimum, every three minutes and search prisoners' cells for contraband several times a day; additionally, corpsmen who administer medication are supposed to ensure prisoners have swallowed it by checking their mouths.

"Detainees are supposed to go into a little cage, an enclosure. Once they are in there they are provided their medication and once they take the medicine they are let out. They can't leave the enclosure until they take it," one US military official told Truthout, describing the medication administration procedures.

The SOUTHCOM inquiry into Latif's death determined that some of the prison's long-standing standard operating procedures (SOPs) were not being followed nor were they enforced, according to US officials who were briefed about the commander's inquiry. 

Several military officials who were familiar with guards' written reports on Latif's behavior told Truthout Latif was considered a "belligerent" prisoner who only appeared to "calm down" when he was given his medication. But whoever was responsible for passing Latif his medication never checked to ensure he took it, US officials briefed about the commander's inquiry said.

In an investigative story published last month, Truthout reported that the only way Latif would be able to have concealed any medication was if there was a total breakdown of the SOPs at the prison facility.

Deviating from the SOP is considered to be an Article 92 violation - failure to obey an order or regulation - under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). US officials said they did not know if any JTF-GTMO personnel have been reprimanded for allegedly failing to follow the SOPs.

SOUTHCOM will make public the findings of its inquiry, possibly as early as next week. 

Even if the SOPs were not followed, as the commander's inquiry found, where would Latif keep a lethal dose of medication given that in the month leading up to his death he was moved to different cells and camps and searched for contraband?

According to accounts provided to Latif's attorney, David Remes, by other prisoners, in the month leading up to his death, Latif was shuttled from Camp 6 to the camp psych ward, then to the camp hospital and finally to the disciplinary wing of Camp 5, where he was held in solitary confinement.

When prisoners are moved from their cells, their wrists and ankles are shackled. Remes' notes state that when Latif was moved from Camp 6 to the psych ward for an incident that took place in a recreation yard in August 2012, during Ramadan, he was not permitted to take any items from his cell with him.

US officials briefed about a separate, NCIS investigation into Latif's death said several theories investigators have floated include whether Latif hid his pills on his body, inside his cell and/or in his Koran. The officials pointed to an incident that took place in mid-May 2006 in which one prisoner had hidden "a cache of drugs" in his toilet.

"Other detainees had apparently saved and transferred their prescribed drugs to designated suicide victims in support of a martyrdom operation," according to an article written in the May 26, 2006, edition of The Wire, a weekly newsletter published by JTF-GTMO.

Following that incident, the guard force immediately searched prisoners' cells and other pills were allegedly found "hidden in the bindings" of some prisoners' Korans. According to Capt. Alvin Phillips, a JTF-GTMO spokesman, the May 2006 incident "resulted in the SOP that no uniform personnel are allowed to handle the Koran." Phillips did not respond to follow-up questions as to how the introduction of the new SOP would help avoid such incidents in the future.

"In the event of a need for the Koran to be searched all linguists can do so," Phillips told Truthout. Linguists "are all civilian, not military, and it removes the potential for allegations of Koran abuse by the guard force," he said.

It is unknown whether Latif had a Koran in his cell at the time of his death. Neither Phillips nor Durand would respond to questions about it. A 2009 Pentagon report that reviewed the conditions at Guantanamo said all prisoners, "regardless of disciplinary status," are given a Koran. 

SOP Failures Not an Isolated Incident

SOUTHCOM will also release two other commander's inquiry reports about two other deaths at Guantanamo which occurred in February and May of 2011. One of those deaths was reportedly a suicide. The commander's inquiry determined that SOPs were also not adhered to in the case of the prisoner who assertedly committed suicide in May 2011, Hajji Nassim, an Afghan known simply as Inayatullah at Guantanamo, according to the commander's inquiry.

Nassim, according to statements released at the time by military officials, was somehow able to take a bedsheet into a prison recreation yard and hang himself. Like Latif, Nassim had a history of psychological problems and spent time in the prison's psych ward. Details surrounding his death have been shrouded in secrecy for nearly two years.

The other prisoner whose death is addressed in a commander's inquiry, Awal Gul, apparently died from a heart attack after working out on an elliptical machine.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Ron Flanders, a spokesman for SOUTHCOM, would not comment on the substance of the reports. He said SOUTHCOM filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with itself last year to have the two earlier commander's inquiry reports declassified and released. Those reports have been going through a declassification review since then.

"We initiated a FOIA ourselves so it would go through appropriate redaction process," Flanders said."

The inquiry into Latif's death was completed in mid-November, Flanders said, and has been put on a fast track for declassification review and release.

Suspicions Raised About Military's Account 

Breasseale, the Pentagon spokesman, said he could not comment on whether any specific changes to the prison's SOPs were made in the wake of Latif's death.

"The JTF consistently reviews its standard operating procedures and updates them as conditions warrant," Breasseale said. "Changes are made to address any gaps in the SOPs that can be, or have been, exploited by detainees. We do not generally discuss specific SOPs (or our updates to them) for obvious operational and force protection concerns."

Remes sees shortcomings in the military's attempt to construct a suicide narrative around Latif's death. He pointed out that to Muslims, hiding something in a Koran would be considered an insult to the holy book.

"SOUTHCOM has to explain the presence of a lethal amount of medication in the locked cell of the most closely watched detainee in the camp," said Remes.

"Given the number and frequency of the searches Adnan was put through, the thoroughness of the searches, and the continuous monitoring, the smuggling scenario seems impossible," he said. "It will be fascinating to see how SOUTHCOM puts it all together."