Saudi Intel Led to Lauder Air Strikes on Saudi Al Qaeda in Yemen
Al Qaeda using civilians as human shields would only make sense if the Yemeni government or al Qaeda had any respect for civilian immunity, which neither does. How did they “escape” Lauder? Supposedly the Saudi, Battarfi, ordered the attacks on Yemeni security forces in Abyan. All these Saudis should go home and fight their war on Saudi soil not in Yemen.
Saudi named new leader of Al-Qaeda in Arab Peninsula
Saudi Gazette
RIYADH – Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is based in Yemen and using it as a launching pad for targeting the Kingdom, has appointed a Saudi of Yemeni origin, Khaled Battarfi, as the leader of the organization in Abyan Governorate, a Yemeni government official disclosed to Okaz/Saudi Gazette.
The move follows the killing of the former leader Jameel Al-Anbari in an air strike on March 14 that targeted the organization’s members in Moudiah city, said Ahmad Ali Al-Qufaishi, director general of Lodar Province, which is located in southern Yemen. Speaking by telephone, he said Battarfi, 35, who is also known as Abu Miqdad Al-Kindi, is the “Shariah-in-charge” in the terrorist organization in Yemen.
He commanded two terrorist attacks that targeted Yemeni troops in the southern parts of the country and killed 12 soldiers in the first attack, two in the second.
Battarfi was among those holed up in citizens’ homes in Lodar Province when security forces surrounded the terrorists and fought fierce gun battles with them in the past two weeks, Al-Qufaishi said.Al-Shihri and Al-Wuhaishi
Al-Qufaishi drew attention to the fact that important commanders of the terrorist organization were present in Lodar when the security confrontations started and they were able to escape despite a tight security siege.
He pointed out that Nasser Al-Wuhaishi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and his deputy, Sa’eed Al-Shihri took advantage of the area’s dense population to escape by using citizens as human shields.
The latest information is that the two men are moving between Al-Baidha, Marib and Shabwa, depending on the state of security in the areas, Al-Qufaishi added.The fate of the leader
Word that Al-Wuhaishi had escaped was the first confirmation that he is alive after there was speculation that he had been killed in the recent months’ security strikes that targeted Al-Qaeda strongholds in Yemen.
He had not been seen recently and his recordings had not been posted on websites operated by the organization in Yemen, which include “Sada Al-Malahim,” an information window for Jihad Al-Qaeda, Al-Qufaishi said.The death of a Saudi
Al-Qufaishi said citizens in Lodar refused to bury a Saudi terrorist who died in the recent confrontations, which forced the terrorist organization to bury him so security authorities would not be able to identify the body.
He stressed that this criminal conduct is well known and that the terrorist organization always tries to hide its members’ identities when they are killed.Different nationalities
Al-Qufaishi estimated that 50 terrorists escaped, including six Saudis, two Egyptians, two Pakistanis, and others of different nationalities.
Terrorists remain in the area, including newly recruited members, most of whom “are Yemenis who were moving among the crowds with their AK-47s on their shoulders, showing their daring to appear in the open in commercial areas and public squares, using the citizens as human shields when the security forces come close to them,” he said.
Exchange of information
Experts in combating terrorism said Yemeni security authorities should cooperate further with their Saudi counterparts, particularly in providing Saudi authorities with the names of Saudi terrorists they are pursuing or have detained.
Experts agree that the exchange of information would help Yemenis play a bigger role in defeating Al-Qaeda and boost the country’s credibility in the international community regarding its stated seriousness in combating terror because what happens in Yeme n affects Saudi Arabia and vice versa.
What is important at this stage is that Yemeni officials have sincere intentions to uproot Al-Qaeda and eradicate it, experts said.
The Director General of Lodar Province stressed that the security successes there would not have been achieved without the cooperation of Saudi security authorities.No American participation
Al-Qufaishi denied that there was any foreign participation in the recent confrontations. He said warplanes have not made air strikes and refuted reports that American drone aircraft participated in the recent operations.
He emphasized that security forces of his country carried out those operations and that there was no assistance from other countries. – Okaz/SG
