Lets predict the future, shall we? The 60 al Qaeda “escapees” who were released with government assistance from the Hadramout prison enter Aden, now that the security is gone, and start shooting in the air, terrifying residents. They take over a recently abandoned radio station and announce an Islamic Emirate. Western media reports a third town has fallen to AQAP.
A few soldiers get sent in to be slaughtered and then the military pulls back. Yemeni government officials announce their deaths in battle against “al Qaeda.” The US trained, funded and equipped counter-terror forces are busy attacking the protesters.
The defected military and/or locals attempting to guard their houses engage the state jihaddists, the so called AQAP. The Yemeni military then bombs those who are fighting the al Qaeda uprising that was fully orchestrated by the state.
Western media runs with the Yemeni government report that the dead were AQAP. Maybe Yemen announces Qasim al Reimi was killed for the fifth time. Some residents flee the state’s bombing and violence on the streets, including the 60,000 displaced from Zinjibar, and are left without food or shelter. Others protest against al Qaeda and demand law and order.
The US lobs some drones, misses and kills civilians, but denies they were civilians because they fit the US’s newly designated “pattern of life” criteria that qualifies them for death. There’s yet another narrow miss on Awlaki. Also killed Saleh’s enemies and/or maybe some actual al Qaeda with inside knowledge of the regime’s dirty deals. When Spain calls for a transition of political power, some Spanish aid workers are mysteriously kidnapped and never heard from again.
The DOD praises Yemen’s efforts against AQAP, continuing the US’s re-branding of the duplicitous, double dealing Saleh regime as a “consistently good partner” in the WOT. The lobotomized media reprints the phrase. There’s some mysterious construction on Perim Island. And the State Department continues its intense lobbying efforts for immunity for Saleh and retention of as much of the US trained CT forces as possible while belittling the protesters as not politically savvy. The protesters however see through all the schemes and continue to demand all Saleh’s relatives go and a restructuring of the security forces.
And that’s roughly what happened in Zinjibar and Loder, except in Loder some extremists from Sanaa were recruited to go command the state financed groups of militants in Lahj as well as recruit brainwashed youths who don’t realize they are dying for Saleh.
Update, and so it begins: Suicide car bomb kills three soldiers in Aden. DNA results on the bomber should be along any minute. Update: Wow that was fast even by Yemeni standards: the regime asserts the bomber was an AQAP member from Abyan, on the list of most wanted. “The sources confirmed that a number of leaders of al-Qaeda were present now in the province of Abyan, led by Fahd al Quso, and Nasser Wahishi, and Qasim al-Rimi, and al-Shihri, and wanted Saudis, Libyans, Pakistanis, Somalis, and believes that they are they planning for the operation.”
The National: US drone attacks in Yemen ignore Al Qaeda for local militants
Yaf3: Popular committees are being formed in Aden because the regime’s forces are contributing to the lawlessness and assassinations. Having the unit physically walk over the mutinous soldiers at Anad military base is a common practice of military discipline.
Arhab: Republican Guard shelling kills 17 including a woman, 35 injured, 86 houses and eight wells destroyed, over 1000 homeless.
In Jaar, Abyan Yemeni war planes bomb house of the former Secretary General of the Yemeni Socialist Party. Military fails to make progress against the militants.
Brigade 119, deployed as reinforcements to brigade 22 Mika, withdraws more then 10 km outside Zinjibar.
In Lahj, Southern Movement activists are surrounding army forces on outskirts of city. al Habylean shelled for second consecutive day (6/26)
Hodeidah citizens are holding diesel tankers in Beit al-Faqih and Almaraoeah protesting against the lack of fuel in their province.
The Republican Guard in Al-Samaa renew bombing Nahm, Sanaa with Katyusha rockets
The Chinese news agency is reporting clashes in Aden as spun by government officials.
YOL At least five Al Qaeda militants and one Yemeni soldier were killed in fierce battles between extremists and security forces in south of Yemen Thursday, a military official said.
Heavy clashes broke out at night at the main entrance of port city of Aden, Xinhua reported. Three groups of Al Qaeda militants carried out attacks targeting the main entrance of Aden and led to violent clashes between the two sides.
Heavy machine guns and artilleries were used during the clashes, said the official, who requested anonymity. Local residents said heavy gunshots and rockets could be heard near the Al-Alam entrance.
Al Qaeda militants of its Yemen-based wing have stationed on the eastern outskirts of the country’s Aden city for two days to prepare to forcibly enter the city.
Beaumont Enterprise: Residents of Aden say military forces loyal to embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh recently removed checkpoints at the city’s entrances and withdrew, raising fears that Islamic militants who seized two nearby towns after government forces carried out a similar pullback could attempt a takeover of the strategic port city… (Read on …)
