Armies of Liberation

Update: News Yemen says five fatalities and eight wounded. Also the dead al Qaeda in al Razi hospital is not al Wahishi.

Yemen Post : At least 31 civilians were killed in three misdirected air strikes when the army continued fighting Al-Qaeda militants or Sharia supporters in Abyan on Monday.

The two raids struck a mosque in Jaar city, which is under the control of the militants, the outlets cited local officials as saying.

“The strikes, which also injured dozens civilians, were supposed to target a small mosque of Al-Qaeda in the area,” the officials continued…The Jet fighters flew over the area several times as to identify their targets before launching their bombs onto the city, causing widespread panic amongst the population.

Yemen Post also reports that it was a Yemeni plane. Marebpress reports that the victims may number in the hundreds. It also is quoting a military source as saying the Great Mosque was bombed by “mistake”, as the intended target was Hamza Mosque, Mareb Press

Jaar Abyan FB page, translation indicates the AQAP had advance warning and told at least one person to leave the city before leaving themselves prior to the air attack:

The city of Ja’ar has been bombed today, following is a list of the bombed locations:
The Great Mosque
Al Razi Hospital (ed- YP: Allegedly, al-Qaeda fighters would have used the medical premises to treat their wounded, forcing doctors to cooperate, and preventing residents from accessing the facility.)
Bureau of Education
AlFarooq Secondary School
Ja’ar Court
House of AlWathi
So far, the deaths have not yet been counted, which has reached dozens according to eye-witnesses. Noting that the AlQaida elements have – hastily – disappeared one hour before the bombings – and one of them has secretly informed one of the youths in Ja’ar to get out as the City of Ja’ar will be destroyed today. They (AlQaida) came back after the bombardment and cut-off the roads between Ja’ar and the villages of AlDarjaj, AlMakzan and Abir Othman.

This comes after the burned president’s statement that Abyan will be cleared. It seems the “clearing” is of from the citizens.

Fearing the soldiers will hand over the town to al Qaeda, tribesmen attacked the soldiers…

Aden al Ghad: Tribal gunmen took control over Musaimeir District in southern Yemen. According to sources said to “Adenalghad website” that clashes broke out in the district continued for several hours between local tribal gunmen and soldiers stationed in a number of government facilities in the district in the early hours of Thursday. (Read on …)

The fanatics in Abyan are trying to replicate Afghanistan under the Taliban, and there’s little public outcry in Yemen, all to busy with the rev, I guess, but the danger of an al Qaeda state increases daily.

Inquirer: SANAA—A suicide car bomber killed three policemen and injured seven at a checkpoint in the port city of Aden on the Arabian Sea Saturday, a Yemeni security official said. (Read on …)

News Yemen: “Abyan tribal sources said that armed groups belonging to al Qaeda said on Monday executed a person in Jaar, and accused him of killing someone two weeks ago. The sources of NewsYemen said that the death sentence carried out against Haidara Mansour Jaber. He was executed at a stadium before a crowd of citizens. It is the first death sentence carried out since al-Qaeda control of the Zanzibar.”

Then they executed a “witch.” Jihaddists in Jaar executed four homosexuals in 2009, showing the ideological affinity between the stated al Qaeda doctrine and local jihaddists in Yemen who may or may not have international ties. The merger this year of these two groups in Abyan has led to some dissension arising from both practical concerns and philosophical difference.

al Tagheer

Carried out an armed group affiliated to al Qaeda on Tuesday sentenced to death by firing squad against one of the citizens of the city of Jaar Abyan province, south of Yemen, after less than 24 hours for the execution of another citizen.

Witnesses said the “al Tagheer” that elements of al Qaeda in the city, led by Abu Ali Hadrami raided the eleventh hour yesterday morning the house of Abdo Hussein Baidhani and took him to the Stadium Club Khanfar sports, and carried out the death sentence by firing squad, in front of a large number of citizens and members of the organization al-Qaeda. (Read on …)

Yemen’s defense minister on Tuesday afternoon survived the attempted bombing, targeting his motorcade during his visit to the military units of the Yemeni army stationed in Western part of the city of Zanzibar, in Abyan province. The blast, which sources said was a mine planted in the minister’s car, targeted the minister and senior military leader, Major General Faisal Rajab 119 and the brigade commander, who announced his support for the protests against the regime of President Saleh of Yemen. al Teef.

The regime later denied the event occurred. For a wrap up of the last weeks, see Critical Threats Gulf of Aden Security Review.

al Tagheer:

Brigadier General Saadi

* Al-Qaeda controlled whole cities in Abyan, and may come to get to Eden, what you read in the folds of the ongoing activity for the «base» in the south and those who stand behind him?

- I think that the «base» does not exist in the south, and existing today in the South is a business organizer led from one office, and this play, which is hosted by the system in the show is directed by the security services of the system.

Yemen officials: Airstrikes kill 30 suspected al-Qaida-linked militants in south; 8 troops die Bab al Yemen:
SANAA, Yemen — Military and medical officials say airstrikes have killed 30 suspected al-Qaida-linked militants in southern Yemen. Eight soldiers also died in clashes in the area. (Read on …)

Bumped from 8/21: The Arabic article at Yaf3 Press says the intra-terrorist conflict described earlier between the AQAP (Marib, Sanaa and foreign jihaddists) and southern jihaddists (the AAIA types) in Abyan arose from the division of the spoils of jihad. The items stolen in the Abyan fighting were transported to Marib, and southern fighters were told to collect their portion there from the Emir. The vehicles transporting the goods, weapons or money passed all checkpoints including in the capital without a problem according to the article.

Once violent clashes broke out, the fitna as JM Berger called it, the command center (and likely some commanders) was relocated to Marib.

There seems to be a reference to the killing of prisoners and that was the beginning of the dispute between northern and southern terrorists in Abyan. The article also says locals found decapitated bodies. I really hope the word families here actually means fellow tribesmen or allies.

The article is from Yaf3 Press, meaning of the Yafee tribe (but not necessarily an official outlet).There’s an upper and lower Yafee in Abyan and beyond. The news site is Abyan-centric, within its broader pro-southern independence, pro-democracy focus. There are also Bakil and Hashid new sites and the young Marib Sheikhs recently made a Youtube video in order to communicate with the rest of the country.

The google translated version from Yaf3:

Abyan: Facts published for the first time on the sharp differences between the militants as a result of regional distribution of the spoils and they are now in a state of collapse.
Newspaper Yafea / private. / 20 / August / 2011 pm Sat (Read on …)

The southern military commander, Maj.Gen. Mahdi Maqualah, Supreme Commander of Southern Region, has been accused many times in directly aiding the AQAP forces in Abyan, as a political tactic to support Saleh. In this case, residents (fishermen and gas station employees) in Shakra, the third Abyan city to fall to al Qaeda, are surprised at the large quantities of oil that AQAP moves repetitively through checkpoints since the beginning of hostilities. There is some collusion by the director of the Aden refinery (again nothing new, the refinery has been a source of AQ funding for a decade). The rest of the Yemen is experiencing severe fuel shortages.

via Yemen Portal blocked sites;

08-22-2011 08:03 www.algnoubal-hur.com: Involvement of the military zone in the southern Abyan events .. The forces transferred Abyan get fuel from plants is facilitated by the government Madawa Elahwal

A number in the city of Saedua, Shakra in Abyan province are extremely surprised by the facilities obtained by the al-Qaeda forces and transferred in the show (Abyan), particularly in obtaining large quantities of oil derivatives on a daily basis in order to facilitate the movement and control of the city .. the quantities of up to more than (five thousand liters) per day on average. (Read on …)

Reuters – Two suicide bombs killed at least 14 people in separate attacks in Yemen’s volatile south on Sunday morning, including the bombers themselves, local officials and tribal sources said.

The attacks targeted tribesmen who have sided with the army in an effort to flush Islamist militants out of the south, where the government has lost control of some areas as months of protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule drag on.

One of the suicide bombers blew himself up in a vehicle at a checkpoint set up by tribesmen in the al-Arqub area, killing 9 tribesmen and himself and injuring others.

The second attack took place in Mudiyah, where the bomber approached a crowd and then set off an explosion that killed him and three others.

They were coordinated bombings according to the Yemen Times:

Al-Qeada in Abyan escalates by attacking tribesmen

Sana’a, Aug. 21 — Rebel militant groups in Abyan believed to be close to Al-Qaeda escalated violence on Sunday morning by committing two simultaneous suicidal operations. This time the attacks targeted local tribes, rather than military forces.

The attacks took place in two of the central areas of Abyan, Moudia and Lauder. In Moudia three people were killed. In Lauder the attacks left 11 tribesmen dead and injured several others, who were taken to al-Baida Hospital.

Moudia’s attack targeted Abu Bakr Al-Ashal, the head of the ruling party in Moudia. Al-Ashal was also a leading figure of Ashal’s tribes and the brother-in-law of the governor. He was killed by a man wearing an explosive belt.

“The man who committed the suicidal attack came over to Al-Ashal where he was sitting with two others, chatting. The guy greeted them and sat for a bit and then pressed the button that ended him with the others,” said Ahmed Yaslem, a freelance reporter in Abyan. (Read on …)

Only the US militatry Saudi military will know if this is true but there have been several instances of duplicity by the Saleh regime regarding coordinates: directing the Saudi Air Force to bomb Ali Mohsen’s camp during the Saada War, the awful miss in December 2009, the errant bombing of Sheikh al Shabawni in May 2010, the “near misses” on Awlaki and al Quso, and the state’s own bombing of the tribal force fighting al Qaeda which killed dozens in July. Update: the Jihaddi forums are saying they were Saudi planes and the supplies “blew” over to them, via Critical Threats. Frankly I was hoping it was all anti-Saleh propaganda but now we know AQAP is well stocked.

al Wahdawi: Southern Military Command deliberately gives the wrong coordinates to foreign aircraft that was providing hardware and supplies to the 25th Mechanized Brigade

Confirmed local sources in the city of Zanzibar that four foreign aircraft were carrying supplies to the Brigade 25 Mechanized that is besieged in the capital of Abyan province for two months ago, but instead al Qaeda robbed the load of food, fuel, and other things that was dropped in the area under the control of members of al-Qaeda by the low flying aircraft.

The sources, who declined to reveal their identity and the identity of foreign aircraft said four aircraft type (C-130) were flew to the city of Zanzibar on the evening of 8 August. They were carrying food enough for the military camp for several months, but the Southern Command, led by Maj.Gen. Mahdi Maqualah, Supreme Commander of South Division, gave the aircraft the wrong coordinates to make the cargo delivered into the hands of militants from the al-Qaeda. (Read on …)

In reporting about Yemen, discrepancies abound. Even before the six month revolution, the dictatorship of Ali Abdullah Saleh was a master of propaganda and constructed complex plots to give the west the appearance of reform or counter-terror cooperation when in fact the reverse was true. By the same token, the newspapers associated with opposition parties have a tendency to skew reporting for political advantage.

The news that AQAP, the Yemeni affiliate of al Qaeda, took over a third town in the Abyan province, Shaqra, has inconsistencies, depending on who is reporting it. The Chinese news agency, Xinhua, based on statements from regime officials, is reporting the battle for control of the town lasted days, but multiple Yemeni sites have eyewitnesses who say the military abandoned the town after an hour of light skirmishes amid retreat. China is a prime purchaser of Yemeni oil and has thwarted Security Council statements denouncing the state’s slaughter of Yemeni protesters.

One eyewitness reported to al Teef, an opposition site, that, “I saw them (al Qaeda members) this morning entering the city on the cars owned by the Yemeni army. They were carrying machine guns and RPG’s.”

Yemenis from all walks, from politicians to street vendors, are adamant that in May the Saleh regime relinquished control of Abyan’s capital Zinjibar to Al Qaeda as a foreign policy strategy, -i.e., to pressure the US into supporting the widely reviled dictatorship.

In July, local tribesmen began a counter-offensive against the al Qaeda fanatics, driving them back from several areas. The Yemeni Air Force then bombed tribesmen, killing dozens along with two Yemeni military officers. State officials said it was a mistake, although tribal fighters had notified the Air Force of their position.

My article today at the Yemen Times covers earlier developments but provides a little more background: Al Qaeda in Yemen alienates local jihaddists

This is what happens when Saleh gets cranky, busy or drunk and exactly why the US can’t rely on the Salehs et al for US national security. The US needs better conduits.

News Yemen: Sharia Ansar militants took control again of the coastal city of Shakra in the Abyan province.
The tribes cleared the city in July from insurgents after fierce battles.

Reuters quoted tribal sources and residents said Wednesday that Islamic militants took control of the coastal town of Shakra in the south of Yemen, which became the third town in their hands (ed-after Znijibar and Jaar.)

The tribal sources said that the government forces offered little resistance. And the militants who the government says are linked to al-Qaeda entered in the town in cars coming from another city they control.

Update: the army fires on the tribesmen, al Teef

News Yemen: Aden Online said that militants in Zanzibar, who called themselves (supporters of Sharia) arrested a hundred youths in the city on Friday who were guarding their family homes and facilities, and put them in the political security prison. One of the buildings was targeted by the warplanes and military aircraft missiles – according the parents.

The website quoted sources saying the military commander of Ansar al-Sharia and named (Dujana) lduring the past two days led a campaign of arrests for all those who remained in the city of Zanzibar, accusing these young people of giving the warplanes coordinates of insurgent positions, and thus making them vulnerable to aerial bombardment.

Families of young people, who are all displaced outside the province, placed responsibility for the lives of their sons on “Ansar al Sharia” and appealed to the military and civilians in the provinces of Aden and Abyan to move with speed to save their children from the hands of these killers, noting that they are able to capture all of the city and suspicious political deals delay the process of its liberation – in their words

@intelwire (J.M. Berger) notes “the reported Abyan fitna (was) mentioned earlier on the forums.”

Khaleej Times ADEN — Clashes between rival extremist groups on Monday left four fighters dead and seven others wounded in Yemen’s restive southern province of Abyan, witnesses said.

A group under the leadership of Abdellatif Sayyed, who has distanced himself from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, asked alleged members of AQAP to leave the town of Jaar.

But a witness said the latter, who are loyal to a local Al-Qaeda leader named Abu Ali Hadrami, refused, triggering a series of clashes that caused casualties on both sides.

Jaar is 12 kilometres (seven miles) north of the provincial capital of Zinjibar which was seized in May by Partisans of Sharia (Islamic Law), an organisation linked to the Al-Qaeda network.

I wrote it up Monday at Examiner.com as

Al Qaeda in Yemen alienates local jihaddists

Local jihaddists in Abyan, Yemen are fighting their former allies, al Qaeda militants from other countries and other Yemeni provinces, for control of Ja’ar City. The combined group, which calls itself “Ansar al Shariah,” has been in control of areas of Abyan since May when the military withdrew.

Clashes between local jihaddists and al Qaeda erupted Monday morning, al Teef reported. The local militants’ commander, Abullatif Al Sayed, tried to expel the non-resident terrorists who had earlier joined their operations for control of the province. Many came from Marib and are linked to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The gun battle that ensued raged for hours and the number of casualties is unknown. (Read on …)

Local jihaddists are fighting (and seek to expel) their former allies, those al Qaeda militants who came from outside Abyan. It sounds like the indigenous Aden Abyan Army type of fanatic (Nabi, the Dhayans) is fighting with the AQAP type (Wahishi and others from Marib and elsewhere) and Ansar al Shariah is fracturing.

Actually its incorrect to call the local jihaddists “al Qaeda” because they have no transnational coordination, support or goals and never pledged loyalty to any external entity or person (except Saleh). This group has long aspired to an Islamic Emirate in Abyan, going back to the 1990’s, and murdered four suspected homosexuals in 2009 when they were in control of Ja’ar. At that time, they called themselves Jamaat al Jihad or the Jihad group.

After a face to face meeting between Saleh and several of the jihaddists’ leaders in January 2009, Nabi fought in the battle of Jaar alongside the military and Saleh released over 100 of their members in April. The Yemeni embassy here in the US said maybe a few al Qaeda were accidentally mixed in but most of the prisoners released were “aged and harmless” AAIA types, and many had been jailed without trial, or so the justification went.

Al Nabi’s later call for an Islamic Emirate in December 2009 produced some skepticism as he has a long, mutually beneficial relationship with the state and bounces between playing the terrorist villain and reformed jihaddist as needed by Saleh. Also in December 2009, after clashes in Jaar had died down, al Nabi re-took some govt buildings because he did not get some land that Saleh promised him. But things were ironed out between the two as current events demonstrate.

Al Teef, Network Spectrum - Jaar–Monday morning armed clashes erupted between members of Islamist groups claiming affiliation to al-Qaeda in the second-largest city of Jaar after the outbreak of sharp differences between the elements of these groups against the backdrop of the affairs of the city.

According to sources in the town of Jaar speaking to “network spectrum,” the clashes broke out after dawn prayers between the two factions of the armed groups, one follows the leader of these groups, “Mr. Abdul-Latif” (“Abullatif Al Sayed,”) and the other are elements of armed groups from outside Abyan.

There was confrontation during which the machine guns were fired and the outcome of the victims is unknown until the moment within the irrigation district, where elements of Mr. Abdul Latif tried to expel the armed groups coming from other provinces.

The sources pointed out that the elements of the master of the last few days tried to exert control over Jaar and asked members of other groups to leave, an appeal that was rejected and caused the outbreak of fighting at dawn today.

Sharp differences erupted over the last weeks between the elements of armed groups in Abyan after the elements of groups from outside the province were accused of vast destruction and looting while maintaining control of the city.

Another article on the growing schism between the two groups and this morning’s violence in Ja’ar at SaadaAden (ar) indicates the local jihaddists accuse the imported jihaddists of creating “overwhelming discontent” among the population in a war without limits. The stance of the local tribesmen against the militant forces has exacerbated the divisions among them, the article notes.

The Yemen Times reports on the aftermath of seven air strikes in Jaar which destroyed the water tank and hit an empty health clinic over the week-end.

Some of Abyan’s tribe came together to expel the militant groups, according to Ahmed al-Aydaros, the governorate’s council member. After successfully expelling the militant groups from Lauder, they formed popular committees.

“The tribes now discuss their plans to free Zunjbar from the militant groups, but there is a dirty game being played by the authorities to hand Abyan to the militant groups, groups without who believes that the Central Security was under the militant groups without even one bullets” said al-Aydaros.

On the other hand, the main military camp 25 Mika in Abyan has been surrounded by the militant groups for more than three months now. Abdalrahim al-Aswary, public relations officer at the 25 Mika camp, told the Yemen Times that this week things have improved at the camp. “We managed to evacuate the martyrs and casualties from the camp.” Although the camp is still surrounded by al-Qaeda from Zunjbar’s side, the state is using air strikes to free the camp, said Al-Aswary. Food is provided well there but al-Qeada has managed to cut the phone coverage.

Pop quiz: Q: What was the characteristic response of the Saleh regime to power sharing demands following unity in 1990 that precipitated the 1994 civil war? A: Assassinations. Hundreds of southern political leaders were assassinated, often by veterans of the Afghan jihad who were allied with Saleh.

Five protesters wounded in Sanaa by an explosive device thrown from a car with police plates.

War planes bomb Arhab, five dead. Three houses, a mosque and many farms damaged. Clashes in Nehm, 20 km south of Arhab, eight wounded.

The Yemen Post reports Hamid Al-Qushaibi of the 310th escaped a car-bomb assassination attempt in Amran province but al Sahwa reports Major Ismail al-Ghurbani, commander of the 310th Armored Brigade of the 1st Armored Division was shot dead in an assassination in Amran

A truce between Islah and the Houthis in al Jawf will go into effect 8/17 when the JMP declares the national council; Fares Manna, UN sanctioned weapons dealer and long time associate of Saleh, will be replaced as governor by Sheikh Hussein Al-Thaneen from the Islah Party.

One person was killed and three wounded Sunday evening when a suicide car bomber detonated at a gathering of Houthis near the health center in al Jawf, News Yemen reported. The Houthis blamed the US, saying “The process shows the intense action and malicious plots by the Americans and the targeting of Yemen in general and the northern areas in particular.” Mareb Press reports dozens of injuries. Interior Ministery says 14 dead and the hallmarks of al Qaeda.

16 suspected al Qaeda were killed Sunday as clashes in the province take place in seven areas. The tribesmen (like the commander of the 25th Mechanized) say that the government is arming the al Qaeda militants and providing other support.

Yemen Post: Local tribesmen in Abyan province, fighting with government against militants, are accusing the government of helping al-Qaeda fighters stay strong by attacking tribal posts and arming the militants.

According to tribal sources in Abyan, at least 19 tribesmen have been killed by government attacks.

A senior Yemeni Defense Ministry official denies that the toll is that high, but did not deny that government raids did kill tribal fighters in accidental attacks.

Over the last month, tribes have succeeded to retake more than 60 percent of the province from the hands of suspected al-Qaeda militants after the government failed to show progress in its fight against the militants since May.

At least 1600 tribesmen are fighting al-Qaeda militants in the province.

More than 15 al-Qaeda fighters were arrested on Thursday by the tribesmen as their push to cleanse the province from the militants nears the final steps.

Update: Sultan al Barakani says Hamid al Ahmar is the prime suspect in the bombing on the presidential palace because the sims cards used in mobile phones belonged to SabaFone.

Update: Reuters reports the tribes have returned to the fight.

Xinhua: Tuesday’s offensive by the 119th Military Brigade in Khamila area in western Zinjibar killed three Islamist militants and wounded seven others, who all were hospitalized in Razi hospital in Abyan’s city of Jaar, a doctor at the hospital told Xinhua. Zinjibar, about 480 km south of the capital Sanaa, has been besieged by the 119th Military Brigade from the west and by the 25th Mechanized Brigade from the east

Original: This is an excellent article from AP and should be read in full. Lets again review the sequence of events. Saleh warns of an al Qaeda take over in Abyan, if he is deposed, then government troops withdraw leaving behind large stocks of weapons. Al Qaeda moves in, takes possession of the weapons and takes over several towns including the capital, Zinjibar, forcing about 90,000 residents to flee from Abyan to Aden. The Defense Ministry leaves the 35th Mechanized Brigade stranded for two months, ordering the brigade to surrender twice. (The US trained CT forces are no where in sight.) Southern tribesmen launch a counter-offensive along with the 35th MB and drive al Qaeda out of Zinjibar. As the fighting moves to the outskirts of town, the Yemeni military bombs the tribesmen three times, although they had notified the military of their position. The Yemeni government calls it a friendly fire incident. Yemenis call it another instance of state collusion with al Qaeda in order to play the western powers, especially the US.

Al Qaeda will be much, much weaker without Saleh and his relatives (including Ahmed) and could be easily conquered, on all levels, by the multitude of indigenous forces that are naturally opposed to them. Its a much more cost effective option as well.

Botched Yemen airstrikes harms anti-militant fight

By AHMED AL-HAJ, Associated Press – 20 hours ago

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni government airstrikes that accidentally killed 40 people last week, including four army officers and a tribal sheik, brought an abrupt halt to the largest military effort yet to dislodge al-Qaida-linked militants from a key southern town, officials and tribal fighters said Tuesday.

The airstrikes, which took place late Friday just east of the town of Zinjibar near Yemen’s south coast, outraged pro-government fighters, prompting them to withdraw from the military offensive against Islamist militants. (Read on …)

I’m so sick of these al Qaeda jokers.

ABYAN, July 30 (Saba) – A security source said Saturday that senior leader of al-Qaeda “Abdullah Saeed Omar Houbaibat” was captured in Abyan province. (Read on …)

Hood said in a statement that it formed the new teams as a result of the tragic events that accelerated in areas of Abyan, Arhab and other flashpoints, and the resulting humanitarian situation and deteriorating conditions of the civilian population especially the vulnerable groups of society including women, children and the infirm, as Hood has received reports of executions of prisoners en masse and the repeated use of weapons in the bombing of civilian areas and military and mosques.

Ahmed Saleh, head of the RG and counter-terror chief, commanded Yemen’s military forces during the 6th Saada War during which many crimes against humanity were committed including bombing refugee camps and a hospital, denial of food, medical care and international aid, and over 300,000 internal refugees were largely left without support. Bombing civilian areas in Yemen since the rev includes Ibb, Taiz, Arhab and Nehm in Sanaa, and others around the country.