Armies of Liberation

Yemeni local sources report that jihaddists who had earlier fought in Iraq and Afghanistan are now fighting for the Yemeni military in the Sa’ada War against the Houthi rebels.

During the siege of Old Saada City last week, “mujahadeen” fighters or state jihaddists included Mohammed Ali Misrat who was killed in battle. Al Qaeda operatives were spotted on the roofs of the city with their guns. “Others were advancing (as an) army are fully armed and equipped (for) combat during the raid (on Old Sa’ada City),” Attagammua reported.

Their leader (and ally of the state of Yemen) is Mohammed al-Edha Shabebah, a 45 year old “well known personality” who returned from Afghanistan. Known as a hardline Islamist, he was seen calling on the Houthi rebels to surrender through a megaphone. Local press reports Shabebah was arrested two years ago in Saudi Arabia on terror related offenses and released after a year to Yemeni custody. He is suspected of recruiting and smuggling fighters to Iraq.

The Yemeni government has been using al Qaeda operatives to train tribal fighters or to fight the Saada War since 2005. I wrote about this particular flow in March and the jihaddist build-up in Sa’ada several times after.

3/29/09: In the north, newly arrived foreign terrorists have begun organizing. Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh reportedly struck a deal with Ayman al Zawahiri late last year. Zawahiri would supply Saleh with al Qaeda terrorists to aid the military’s efforts in the Saada War against northern Shiite rebels. A significant number of terrorists arrived in Sa’ada by March. The Yemen Times reported, “Jihadist groups, or Salafia – including Yemenis and foreigners from neighboring Arab and non-Arab countries – started gathering in areas around villages and towns where Houthi supporters live.” The report indicated the Yemeni military was overseeing the build-up.

Al Tajamo described the “striking emergence of Salafi groups” which included “members of various Arab nationalities as well as citizens from different provinces.” The groups were in the process of organizing a unified structure, the paper said. The Yemeni government deployed al Qaeda terrorists as both fighters and trainers in the Saada War since 2005.

There have been numerous recent reports of some al Qaeda migration from Iraq and Afghanistan to Yemen. The assumption is that they are going there to fight against Saleh or because of pressure in other theaters or to launch attacks against Saudi Arabia. However, the possibility is real that they are coming to President Saleh’s assistance.

Even discounting aforementioned intercept from Saad bin Laden on behalf of Zawaheri, its in al Qaeda’s best interests to keep Yemeni President Saleh marginally in power; there will never be another more leader accommodating.

Aspects of the Yemeni government are thought to provide training, passports and travel accommodations to jihaddists traveling to Iraq. Moreover, Sa’ada itself is a strategic location for al Qaeda.

In news regarding the recent US assisted counter-terror air strikes, during which the intended al Qaeda target escaped and many civilians outside the camp were killed, the Yemen Post reports, “Dozens of locals informed the government of the Al-Qaeda training camp, which has been there for more than four months, but the government did nothing about it.” The Yemen Times has new casualty figures and notes, “most of the civilian causalities were located between one to two kilometers away from the jihadist’s camp.”

Attagamnua auto translated, (and a direct link)

Returning from Afghanistan and Iraq with the army fighting in Saada
الأحد , 13 ديسمبر 2009 م Sunday, December 13th, 2009 م

قالت مصادر محلية وشهود عيان في صعدة لـ “التجمع”: إن عناصر إسلامية متشددة شاركت بالقتال إلى جانب الجيش أثناء عملية اقتحام المدينة القديمة بصعدة وأن أحدهم قد قتل في معارك اليوم الأول مع الحوثيين. According to local sources and eyewitnesses in Saada for “assembly”: The elements of the Islamic militant group participated to fight alongside the army during the operation into the old city Saada and one has been killed in battles on the first day with the Huthis. ويدعى ” محمد علي مصراط” وهو في العقد الخامس من العمر وقد عرف بتشدده ضد الجماعات الحوثية عندما كان يلقي خطبة في المساجد السلفية بصعدة. Named “Muhammad Ali Masrat” which is in the fifth decade of life has been defined against the hardliner groups Alhotheip when he was delivering a sermon in the Salafist mosques Saada.
وقال شهود عيان لـ “التجمع”: إن عدداً من تلك العناصر عائدون من أفغانستان”. Witnesses said the “assembly”: The number of those elements returning from Afghanistan. ”
وقالت المصادر المحلية: إن المتشددين الإسلاميين الذي يطلق عليهم السكان “المجاهدين” قد ظهروا ومعهم مجاميع تشاهد لأول مرة كانوا بأسلحتهم فوق أسطح المنازل في محيط المدينة والبعض الآخر كانوا يتقدمون صفوف الجيش وهم بكامل أسلحتهم وعتادهم القتالي أثناء عملية الاقتحام. Local sources said: The Islamic militants, who called the population “mujahideen” had appeared, along with the totals you see for the first time they were with their guns on the roofs of houses in the vicinity of the city and others were advancing army are fully armed and equipped combat during the raid.
وقالت المصادر: إن “محمد العيضة شبيبة” 45 عاماً وهو من العائدين من أفغانستان وهو من الشخصيات المعروفة لدى السكان كان على رأس المقاتلين الإسلاميين المتشددين. The sources said: “Mohammed Alaidp JS” 45-year-old who returned from Afghanistan, a well-known personalities among the population was at the top fighters of hardline Islamists. وكان ينادي من خلال مكبر للصوت ويطلب من المتمردين الحوثيين تسليم أنفسهم ويذكرهم بان العديد من رفاقهم قد سلموا أنفسهم لقوات الجيش. He was calling through a megaphone and calls on the insurgents to surrender and reminded them that many of their comrades had surrendered to the army.
ويشار الى أنه سبق وان تم اعتقال المذكور قبل نحو عامين في المملكة العربية السعودية على ذمة الإرهاب وبعد أكثر من عام قضاها في السجون السعودية, سلم للسلطات الأمنية في اليمن, وأطلق سراحه بعد تعهد وكفالة أسرته بعدم مزاولة أي نشاط يخالف القانون بحسب مصادر أمنية. It should be noted that he had previously mentioned was arrested two years ago in Saudi Arabia for terrorist offenses, and after more than a year spent in a Saudi prison, was handed over to security authorities in Yemen, and was released after his family vowed to ensure not engage in any activity contrary to law, according to security sources.
وذكرت مصادر محلية في صعدة أن “محمد العيضة” يشتبه بأنه على صلة بتجنيد مقاتلين إسلاميين وتهريبهم للقتال في العراق. According to local sources in Saada that “Mohammed Alaidp” suspected of links to recruiting and smuggling Islamic militants to fight in Iraq.

The two names of al Qaeda fighters in the farticle are Mohammed Ali Misrat and Mohammed al-Edha Shabebah.