Armies of Liberation

Your multi-media terrorist group….

Sanaa, 31 March (AKI) – An al-Qaeda cell in Yemen, known as the Yemen Soldiers Brigade, released the group’s first video on Monday on websites linked to fundamentalist Islam.

The video, which lasts 13 minutes, celebrates the death of Yemeni al-Qaeda leader, Fouz al-Rubei, who was killed in a clash with police near the capital Sanaa in October 2006.

The terrorist was found with other al-Qaeda members in a hideout, which was also used to store explosives, on the outskirts of the city.

Al-Rubei, was condemned to death in 2004 for having carried out attacks on oil pipelines in Yemen in 2002 and for having killed a soldier in the province of Abin.

He managed to escape from prison in February 2006 together with 22 other al-Qaeda members who were in the prison in Sanaa.

The video released on Monday also showed footage of an attack carried out by al-Rubei on an oil pipeline in the country.

The video begins with the words used in a previous audio message by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, which was dedicated to Yemen.

In that message, bin Laden fiercely attacked Yemen’s president Ali Abdullah Saleh, accusing him of being an American ally.

It also attacked other religious leaders such as the well-known judge Hamud al-Hitar who has been employed to re-educate the al-Qaeda fighters currently in Yemen’s jails.

The video by the Yemen Soldiers Brigade concluded with a statement by a suicide-bomber from Sanaa, Abu Miqdad, who was seen standing between a Kalashnikov rifle and grenade launcher. Miqdad said that he was ready to sacrfice himself for Osama bin Laden.

The footage of Fawaz is of a 2002 attack or 2006?

Attacks that never happened:

QAEDA IN YEMEN SAYS IT ATTACKED FOREIGN OIL ASSETS: SITE

DUBAI, March 31, 2008 (AFP) – Al-Qaeda’s wing in Yemen has said it carried out separate attacks on a French oil pipeline and a Chinese oilfield last week in Yemen, web monitoring group SITE said on Monday.
The attackers, calling themselves the Jund Al-Yemen Brigades claimed they detonated a timed explosive Thursday on a pipeline belonging to France’s Total in the western Saah district, the SITE Intelligence Group reported.
In a statement posted on an Islamist militant website, the group also said it fired mortars Saturday at an oilfield owned by an unidentified Chinese firm in the eastern district of Hadramut.
“Both these operations are stated as means of support against the enemy,” SITE reported, adding that the authenticity of the message could not be verified.
There were no previous reports of the alleged attacks.
In a similar statement on the Internet last week, the militant group said it had targeted the US embassy in Sanaa in an attack that hit a nearby school in the Yemeni capital, without giving the date of the March 18 attack.
A schoolgirl and a policeman were killed and 19 other people wounded in the attack, which Washington said had targeted the US embassy.
The Jund al-Yemen Brigades has claimed responsibility for previous attacks on Belgian and Spanish tourists in Yemen.
Yemen, one of the world’s poorest countries, is awash with weapons and is the ancestral homeland of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in October 2000 that killed 17 US sailors on the destroyer USS Cole in the southern Yemeni port of Aden.

And of course version number seven of the mortar attack on the embassy:

Sana’a, March 26, 2008 – Yemen’s al-Qaeda military commission member, denied Yemeni government’s version that last week’s attack was aimed at the July 7 girls’ school.

Abu Yahya asserted that a group of Mujahedeen targeted the U.S. Embassy last week by several missiles and that several security forces guarding the embassy were killed and injured in the attack.

Abu Yahya added that when attacked security forces guarding the U.S. embassy fired back injuring several girl students in the school.

Abu Yahya called for forming a neutral commission to investigate into the case and added that they will compensate the families of the injured if the commission finds out that the school was hit by one of their missiles and that the government should do the same if it turns out that the forces guarding the embassy hit the school.

Al-Qaeda militant also asserted that the al-Qaeda militants who carried out the attack against the U.S. Embassy are safe now.

Source: Al-Wasat weekly

A commission to investigate? That’s funny.

Still not going to the highest bidder, wonder why?

Yemen Post

In a symposium organized by Al-Tagheer.net, economic experts stressed that government should bring the agreement relating to operating and developing Aden Container Terminal before parliament for discussion, and demanded it to act responsibly with this issue because the terminal is of vital economic importance to the country.

The participants also demanded the government to reconsider all agreements as to operating Aden Container Terminal, hinting all the previous agreements are not binding to the country because they harm its interest.

They further stressed that an international tender for operating Aden Terminal should be announced through which qualified and eligible companies can bid, maintaining that the bidding process should be conducted according to the tenders law, together with presenting it to parliament for approval.

Several papers have been presented during the symposium including one paper by Ayman Mohammed Nasser who pointed out that bidding or buying the government institutions should be referred to parliament for approval and later a republican decree should come next.

Political science professor Abdullah Al-Faqih warned against the new agreement signed with Dubai Ports Authority, stressing the agreement wastes Yemen’s financial rights. He also indicated that partnership of 50 percent of profits is not beneficial, and maintained this could lead other bidding companies to sue the Yemeni government.

Al-Faqih added that the bidding of the three companies was as follows:

1. Kuwaiti alliance with $462 million.

2. Philippines International Services with $451 million.

3. Dubai Ports with $297 million, hinting the best bid was offered by the Kuwaiti company and instead of declaring it as the successful bidder or having negotiations, Yemeni government decided to re-ask for new tenders.

In return, former Member of Parliament Salim bin Talib declared that the government withdrew the agreement from parliament in an effort to pass the agreement away from the parliament‘s control, adding that any agreement like that of Aden Terminal should not be signed only under the approval of parliament.

For his part, Mohamed Abdul Majeed Al-Qubati expressed his sorrow over the appalling situation of Aden Terminal, mainly because of the confused and unclear government policies.

Al-Qubati, however, indicated that Aden can be an international port and cited an American report speaking of the possibility of turning Aden Terminal into the most important free zone in the Middle East.

Economists and MPs demanded the formation of a civil coalition to defend Aden Terminal and maintained that it was a famous port in the past.

Yemeni businessman Saleh bin Fareed Al-Surimah pointed out the eligibility of his company Gulf and Kuwait Coalition Company (KGL) to operate and develop Aden Terminal and hinted that several parties cheated and beguiled in an effort to deprive KGL of it.

Al-Surimah emphasized the agreement with Dubai Ports is invalid and it abuses people’s right, hinting that if those people succeed in passing this dubious deal, this could help corrupted officials to pass the selling of other government institutions like Aden Refinery, etc. in the future.

He also requested President Saleh to act according to his constitutional responsibility to stop what he named as misuse and abuse in Aden Terminal because it does not serve the country’s interests.

Trial resumes. Jaber says he didnt plot to blow the facilities. Then there’s Tharbani, bin Shamlan’s security guard and Saleh’s cousin who was acquited already despite much fanfare the days before the 2006 election.

Lawyer demands to clear FBI’s most-wanted, Alsahwa.net

March 30, 2008 – Lawyer of Jaber al-Bana’a , the suspect of bombing an oil installation in Marib and the FBI’s most wanted, demanded to aquit his client.

“If the prosecution knows that al-Bana’a was not involved in the case, then it is better to clear him” added the lawyer Abdul-Aziz al-Smawi.

In the hearing headed by Judge Mohammad al-Hakimi, al-Smawi accused the court of working to please outside parties, indicating that other countries no longer accept the United States’ demands. “They woke up” commented he.

Al-Bana who was sentenced to 10 years by a Yemeni court for his connection with terrorism, was released on commercial bail on March 9.

Yemen Post

The State Specialized Penal Court resumes today the trails of Al-Qaeda Cell accused of planning terrorist acts and targeting oil facilities in Mareb and Hadramout late in 2006.

The trial comes after the American Embassy in Sana’a blamed the organization for the recent attack on the Embassy using Hown-mortar shells which missed their way and fell in nearby July 7 school.

Meanwhile, Interior Ministry denied any link of Al-Qaeda Organization with July 7 incident and hinted the Embassy was not a target for the attack.

In a symposium organized by Future Studies Center last week, the guests spoke about the current position of Al-Qaeda Organization in Yemen. Saeed Al-Jumhi, author of ‘Al-Qaeda Organization – the Origin and the Intellectual Background’ published last year stressed the danger stems from people who recruit and produce the sleeping cells.

Chief Editor of News yemen website Nabil Al-Soufi pointed out that none is waging a real military war with Al-Qaeda and it is a matter of settlements. He stressed that Al-Qaeda attacks in Yemen affect the country but not America and hinted the authorities are conniving with the organization for achieving certain ends.

In related news, Najeeb Mohammed Abdu, known also as Abu Hafsah and the guard Aden-Abyan Islamic Army leader Khalid Muhb Al-Nabi is still in Aden’s Al-Naqeeb hospital meeting treatment after being injured in exchange of fire with security men.

What is the Common Forum? Is that the new name for the JMP or is that the stooge opposition coalition?

Thousands of Yemenis protest soaring prices, corruption

AFP
SANAA (AFP) — Thousands of Yemenis gathered on Thursday to protest at rising prices, accusing the government of failing to curb the increasing cost of living and corruption, an AFP correspondent reported.

Answering a call by the Common Forum, which includes five main opposition parties, over 10,000 protestors took to the streets of Sanaa chanting slogans denouncing the government.

“Oh, corrupt government, high prices have overwhelmed the country,” protestors yelled, calling upon President Ali Abdullah Saleh to honour earlier electoral promises of fighting poverty in one of the world’s poorest countries.

The Common Forum issued a statement during the protest saying that the gathering was a “cry by the people to reflect their suffering of the horrific deterioration of their standard of living in light of soaring prices, unemployment, and organised corruption.”

The gathering was not the first protest against the rising cost of living.

In August, thousands of Yemenis waved bread loaves as they staged a sit-in organised by opposition parties in the southern town of Taiz to protest at rocketing prices and to demand better services.

Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Majur had vowed that he will no longer tolerate corruption as he was sworn into office last April.

Yemen Post

Yemen surprised observers as it suddenly reduced its participation in 20th Arab Summit held in Damascus over March 29-30. Vice-president Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi was delegated to attend the meetings on behalf of President Saleh who used to attend all former Arab summits.

Observers stressed the absence of Saleh could have a passive impact on the Palestinian reconciliation and the Yemeni initiative aiming to patch the differences between the different Palestinian factions.

Journalist Abdul Bari Atwan pointed out that Saleh’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia could be a reason for not attending the summit. He hinted that Yemeni authorities are pressured by the United States that tries to divide Yemen once again into South and North.

Saleh’s absence has been widely echoed in Arab public opinion and media and some observers consider his absence to be a signal that Sana’a Declaration between Fatah and Hamas has reached an impasse. They assure that it is not time to recognize Hamas as a partner and none wants to embarrass Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Sources revealed that Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi met the chairman of Damascus-based Hamas Political Bureau Khalid Mashaal who has been briefed by the former on reasons for Saleh’s absence.

The same sources insinuated that Saleh absented himself because Abbas declined to support Sana’a Declaration which could be embarrassing to him in person and other Arab countries including Egypt and Saudi Arabia as well as the U.S.

President Saleh should have been there to administer the Palestinian file and to come up with a resolution to support the Yemeni initiative which aims to end up the internal Palestinian differences.

Similarly, other Arab acting parties like Saudi Arabia and Egypt sent low-level diplomats to attend the summit and this prompted the Libyan President Mu’mer Al-Qadhafi to blame the U.S. and Western pressure for the low representation.

19 total by my count. The youth are less disciplined and more violent than the retired military association. Mareb Press:

Dozens of young people protested today, Sunday, over not recruiting them in the Republican Guards in Dhale and al-Jabelain districts in Dhale province.
The protestors cut the main street and set fire to wheels three kilometers along the street. They threw the garbage and cars’ bodies on the streets.

The protestors carried out an angry march carrying a donkey to the headquarter of the General people’s Congress (GPC), the ruling party, in the province and chanting “No donkeys after this day”. They pelted the GPC’s headquater with stones. (Read on …)

Military is about 25%

YemenTimes

However, Yemen’s health allocation in its national budget is only 4.6 percent, as compared to 18.4 percent for education, while the child protection allocation is negligible; therefore, much more attention must be attached to these issues in terms of budget and efforts.

UNHRC

Others have suffered far worse while attempting the perilous Gulf of Aden crossing in search of safety or a better future. Last year, at least 27,000 people reached Yemen but some 1,400 died or were missing, according to UNHCR figures. Of those who reached land alive, 7,010 were assisted by UNHCR in the May’faa reception centre. They came mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia.

Jeilany and fellow Ethiopian passenger Mussa, talking to UNHCR at the May’faa centre, said they and about 120 other desperate people in their boat had each paid smugglers about US$45 to bring them to Yemen….The situation is so bad that even those who endured years of war for more than a decade are now trying to escape Mogadishu. UNHCR estimates that there are at least 200,000 Somalis living in Yemen as refugees.