Armies of Liberation

Yemenis are fleeing (not joining) al Qaeda where ever they appear. However the vast majority of civilians lack the funds to rent an apartment or to buy food once they leave their farms and possessions behind to be looted by AQAP. But if they stay, they are subject to both al Qaeda dictatorship and US drones. The US may label those who don’t flee as collateral damage or as providing material support (as the Bedouins were in the Dec 2009 US strike in Abyan that killed 43 women and children when General Patraeus implied they were acceptable deaths because they selling vegetable to AQAP, despite the fact the villagers had appealed twice to local authorities to expel the group.)

Certainly AQAP bears the responsibility for sheltering in populated areas in the first place but people in the al Qaeda occupied territories of Yemen want to know where the refugee camps are. Seriously, where are they supposed to go? And it is a US problem when an al Qaeda presence means the potential of US drone strikes. The 120,000 who fled Zinjibar last May are still in the schools of Aden. I know Yemenis’ rights are very low on Obama’s priority list, but there must be a part of the plan to increase US drone use that will deal with the public panic and mass displacement that will occur as US drones follow AQ from province to province threatening people’s lives and homes. Over 15,000 fled Raada within days of Tariq al Dhahab’s (and al Wahishi’s) appearance. They were escaping both the al Qaeda fanaticism and the threat of US drones.

While the Obama administration may try to maintain the myth in the US that they know exactly who they are hitting, and its always a precise targeting, the non-lethal impact on civilians must be considered as well. The US is playing right into al Qaedas hands with nearly every policy from the re-imposition of a dictatorship through the GCC deal to Saleh’s visit to increased drones. The US is focused on vulnerable land when it should be focused on vulnerable people.

Basically, the US is going to bomb Yemen in order to pull off an uncontested election that nobody wants (except the US, the GPC and Islah elites) in the interest of “stability.” If the expired parliament gave Saleh immunity, it can appoint Hadi. The bogus show election isn’t worth more Yemeni lives or the displacement of tens of thousands, and it certainly wont confer legitimacy when there’s only one candidate that was selected by the US. The most politically disenfranchised are going to boycott anyway: civil minded protesters, southerners and Houthis.

The National: Yemen will increasingly rely on US drone strikes to target Islamist militants threatening to disrupt a transfer of power this month, Yemeni government officials said.

The president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, is meant to hand over power to his vice president, Abdurabu Mansur Hadi, on February 22.

The run up to the transfer is being overshadowed by growing protests, including within the military, which have grounded Yemen’s air force across much of the country.

Two aides in Mr Hadi’s office said they expected a rise in drone attacks against Al Qaeda militants.

The strikes will be intensified only if necessary, to ensure that militant groups do not expand in vulnerable areas, said one of the aides. Both asked to remain anonymous. (Read on …)

Associated Press

PARIS—Three French aid workers held hostage by al Qaeda militants in Yemen have been freed after nearly six months in captivity, thanks to help from the sultan of Oman and a possible ransom payment, officials said Monday. (Read on …)

The Yemeni-American teenager is widely perceived in Yemen as an innocent, and therefore his death in a US drone strike is causing mass outrage on a level much, much greater than that of his father. There is a birth certificate showing he was 16 at the time of his death, and many photos have been posted. Like the December 2009 strikes, its the civilian casualties of US drone strikes that provoke mass public outrage. Yemeni would have liked to see some evidence on Awlaki or better yet, to bring him to trial. But killing his teen-age son, or any innocent teen, is way over the top of acceptable counter-terror collateral damage, Yemenis say.

Yemen Post According to the al-Awlaki family back in Sana’a, the Yemeni capital, Abdul rahman al-Awlaki, the cleric’s son would have run away from home after news of his father’s death in a desperate bid to find him. The 17 year-old was killed subsequently in an American air raid this Friday. Outraged, his family is now speaking out against what they call a murder.

The family’s statements to the WaPo is here. His family says he ran away from home and was having a picnic when the drone hit. However what he was doing with known terrorist Ibrahim al Banaa and Fahd al Quso’s brother is unknown and not raised in the article.

Related: I posted this below but it belongs in a drone-related post: Marib Press Tribes in Marib issued a statement saying Sheikh Saleh al Taaman was killed in the air rad with Ibrahim al Banaa but not reported killed by the regime. The Sheikh was connected to the state’s security policy and paid by Ghalib al Qamish (PSO) 100K YR/month; tribesmen accuse the regime of the manipulating the terror file and US CT ops to retain power. They say the Sheikh was not listed among the dead and that’s reason to ignore the regime’s fatality lists.

Awlaki moved between Shabwa and Abyan, preached openly, negotiated with a sheikh for AQAP passage through tribal territories (request denied). If Awlaki was with Saed al Shihri, its pretty clear that he was in AQAP, and pretty high up, I cant believe anybody is debating that point. Update: Anwar’s family

Awlaqi moved freely in Yemen’s lawless regions, AFP

ADEN — Long sought-after US-born Al-Qaeda cleric, Anwar al-Awlaqi, who was killed in a US air strike last week, used to move freely around Yemen’s lawless provinces and even preach in mosques, witnesses said.

During the past few months, the radical cleric had moved between the Al-Qaeda hotbed regions of Abyan and Shabwa in the south and Marib in the east, one tribal chief told AFP on condition of anonymity….Awlaqi and AQAP number two, Saeed al-Shehri, escaped death on September 20, when US drones carried out several air strikes on the village of Al-Mahfad in Abyan, the tribal chief said. (Read on …)

Yemen Observer:The leadership of Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was seen in the southern province of Shabwah in the south East of Yemen, after they were defeated in Abyan, reliable sources in Shabwah said Tuesday.

The sources said they saw Fahd Al Qusu, Qasem Al Raimi, and Saeed Al Shihri along with tens of their companions including Saudis and Egyptians. (Read on …)

Handy for them that the French amb is out of town, either expelled or on vacation, and RG commander and presidential son, Ahmed Saleh has open hostility to all French visitors since French officials issued statements of support for the rev. YLNG is the biggest money maker in Yemen, and TOTAL owns 39%.

If one more person tells me that AQAP will disappear when Saleh is gone, I think my head will explode. While there certainly is substantial overlap and facilitation between the two, it doesn’t matter in the outcome or for the victims.

Al Qaeda takes over new town close to huge gas project
Source : Xinhua,07/09/2011 via Nasser Arrabye

SANAA,-Al-Qaida militants Tuesday seized Rowda town in Yemen’s southeast province of Shabwa, a few miles away from the location of TOTAL-led Yemeni Liquefied Natural Gas ( LNG) Company, a provincial security official told Xinhua.

“The militants of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) took over Rowda town following fierce battles with government forces backed by the Yemeni air force,” the official said on condition of anonymity. (Read on …)

Wired: Also on Friday, another group of suspected terrorists attacked a security checkpoint in the southern province of Shabwa. At least three police officers were killed and another one was injured.

Hindustan Times:
Al-Qaeda militants have kidnapped an intelligence officer today in Yemen’s south while unknown gunmen killed a soldier and a policeman in separate attacks, a security official told AFP. “Masked Al-Qaeda armed men stopped a bus in Loder,” in Abyan province, which has become one of the jihadists’ stronghold, and “abducted a Yemeni intelligence officer named Fadhel Ahmed Mohsen,” said the official. (Read on …)

Saleh has a sudden change of heart:

WSJ: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been more forthcoming with information on Mr. Awlaki since the president has faced major protests in his country, a U.S. official said. Mr. Saleh has sought to use that information in an effort to gain more U.S. support, the official added. The White House has backed an Arab proposal that would ease Mr. Saleh from office…The attempt to kill Mr. Awlaki was the first known U.S. military strike inside Yemen since May 2010, when U.S. missiles mistakenly killed one of Mr. Saleh’s envoys and an unknown number of other people. That soured relations and prompted the administration to pull back.
(Read on …)

Update: The drone strike in Shabwa around midnight was launched by the US military and targeted Anwar al Awlaki, CNN is reporting. The two killed were Awlaki associates and the intel was not from the several computers seized at UBL compound.

Original: I really did mean to post this at the time. The drone strike yesterday in Shabwa that killed two AQ siblings was preceded by miss in Abyan on 4/24. One predator didn’t explode and the other hit a road. The April strike occured near Amfryad in Mudiyah where in December 2010 US missiles killed 49 civilians along with a few al Qaeda (as a parliamentary inquiry found). The last use of armed unmanned drones was in 2002 and resulted in the killing of al Harithy and US citizen Kamal Darwish, Lackawanna recruiter.

Yemen Times: ABYAN, Apr. 26th – US airstrikes in Abyan governorate are still threatening the lives of citizens. The Al-Ma’jala strike – which took place on 17 December 2009 and killed 55 people, including 14 women, 21 children and 14 alleged Al-Qaeda members – still looms large in the region’s collective memory.

According to Abyan’s security chief, Colonel Abdullah Ali Saeed, a new airstrike hit the small village of Amfryad in Mudiyah district on 24 April 2011. The attack involved two cruise missiles being launched by a US Predator drone.

The Predator was pursuing a pickup truck allegedly belonging to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) jihadists. (Read on …)

There have been some statements recently attributed to General Nuba but this one is authentic. In the statement, General Nuba applauds the GCC efforts and invites the GCC to deal with the issue of the south. It is a political opening to begin a discussion, but the starting position of the SNC is independence. Its also important to recall General Nuba is the head of the retired southern military coalition which began the protests in 2007 and have sustained them through time peacefully despite horrible atrocities by the state. As I’ve been saying, the retired southern military officers could be quite helpful after the purge of the Yemeni military leadership. The southern officers have Russian military training, respect civilian immunity, are already organized and know the lay of the land.

An important political statement

We followed with great interest the efforts undertaken by the GCC countries, in response to the crisis of Yemen, between the regime and opposition which culminated in a five point initiative.

Accordingly, we in the Supreme National Commission for the Independence of the South, although the initiative was not exposed to us or in the South, we review the issue. We continue our struggle in a peaceful manner against the current system or the next system in order to attain independence of the South in an expeditious manner.

At the same time we can not fail here that confirm that we applaud the policies included in the initiative, especially as they concern our brothers in Yemen Arab Republic. We appreciate the role played by the GCC countries to resolve the crisis of our brothers in the Yemen Arab Republic.

We also hope the GCC countries to be next to them is to move forward in resolving the issue about South and the quick granting of independence in the South.

Brigadier / Nasser Ali Al Nubia

President of the Supreme National Commission for the independence of the South

President of the Supreme Coordination Council of the Assemblies of retired military and security officials and civilians

Shibuya

April 10, 2011

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
(Read on …)

Update: but then Saleh made some Ghaddafish crazy speech blaming the JMP and urging the youth to form a political party and giving every indication that he is hanging on until the end.

This is what I meant earlier that both are going, Ali Mohsen won’t overtly take power. Gates better get to work on that post-Saleh plan. This is the only revolution that the people will have kicked out the president before the US switched sides to support the people. If Ali Mohsen is suddenly a good guy and kicked out the Central Security out of much of Shabwa, via tribal proxy, can we have Anwar Awlaki now, please?

Shabwa falls: Tribal leaders loyal to the youth revolution took over seven military compounds in Shabwa, all previously belonging to the Central Security Forces. Central security forces were able to take most of the artillery before leaving the compounds. The military compounds are located in the districts of Maayfa’ah, Habban, Nisab, and in Saeed. “We will not allow governmental forces to enter our region. The military compounds are now loyal to the revolution youth, and will defend the people with our lives,” said tribal leader in Maayfa’ah district.

Shabwa in total has 17 districts in total, and the four that fell today are considered the most pivotal in the province. The districts of Habban and Saeed are home to two big oil facilities are tie the roads of Shabwa with major provinces in Yemen including Hadramout and Aden.

Official sources confirmed that President Saleh met yesterday with General Ali Ahmar in order to come up with an initiative to save the country from any future bloodshed. According the an official source, President Saleh has agreed on step down as early as Saturday on condition that General Ali Ahmar also steps down. “Both sides have agreed to step down, but dialogue today are to reach an agreement over who will rule after Saleh steps down,” said a senior official source.

will trigger more protests, lather rinse repeat. Update: the 16 arrested were ranking police officers who participated in the protests.

Yemen police arrest 16 anti-regime protesters AFP
ADEN, Yemen — Yemeni security forces arrested 16 protesters in Aden on Saturday, as thousands continued to demonstrate in the south demanding the fall of the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The anti-government demonstrators were nabbed as police dispersed protesters who were gathering to hold a sit-in outside Al-Nur mosque in Aden, police said. (Read on …)

Update and bumped: HUGE protest in Sanaa today

Very large protests in Sanaa and Taiz, also Ibb. Thousands gather in Aden for funeral procession for some of those killed in last Friday’s state violence.

Hodiedah: Sahwa Net- : Supporters of Yemeni regime in Hodeidah governorate wounded on Wednesday 30 protestors, who demand to overthrow the Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Local sources said that some thugs were arrested and admitted that they were ordered to attack the protesters by the Minister of Youth and Sport Hamoud Obad. The governor of Hodeidah Ahmed al-Jabliwas dismissed after he failed to push people to participate in pro-regime protests. (Read on …)

Just adding the names to the database in case they show up three years from now on the local council. The three are wanted in the second pedestrian suicide attack on the UK ambassador. The six on trial including Badr al Hassani were initially touted as the perpetrators but were charged with vague crimes. That trial may just evaporate before the the PSO deputy director in Marib is called to testify about his payments to Hassani. Also below the fold various rewards offered for the capture of AQAP operatives.

Interior circulate the names of 3 of the al-Qaeda targeted the British Ambassador
الخميس, 02-ديسمبر-2010 – 11:05:58 Thursday, 2002 – December -2010 – 11:05:58
نبأ نيوز- صنعاء – Naba News – Sana’a -

وذكر مركز الإعلام الأمني أن المطلوبين الثلاثة الذين عممت عنهم قيادة الوزارة هم: The Center for Information Security that the three wanted persons who circulated them the leadership of the ministry are:
1. محمد صالح محمد علي المطري 1. Mohammed Saleh Mohammed Ali Matari
2. محمد عبد الرحيم عبد الله الشميري 2. Mohammad Abdul Rahim Abdullah Shamiri
3. عثمان سراج عبد الله. 3. Uthman Siraj Abdullah.
ورجحت المعلومات إن يكون المطلوبين أمنياً متواجدين الآن في محافظتي شبوة ومأرب. And information likely to be online now wanted security in the provinces of Shabwa and Marib.

More data storage (Read on …)

The widespread civil unrest was triggered by multiple arrests, see list of 90 in Aden below. The most high profile detainee currently is Hassan Baoum, who returned from China several months ago to great celebrations. A general strike was held in Mukallah. From Aden News Agency:

Several protests were organized in southern Yemen by the Southern Movement on the Southern Prisoner’s Day that is staged on Thursdays to demand the release of Southern Movement leaders and activists in local jails and others in the Yemeni capital (Sana’a.) (Read on …)

Awlaki is a bit more than a propaganda threat it seems. I would assume that Feierstein knows more facts than the rest of us. In addition to Awlaki’s role in the cargo plane plot, numerous persons admitted to being “inspired” to murderous violence by Awlaki who has urged and provided a (flawed yet comprehensive) basis for the murder of any American, indeed all Americans. Awlaki has engaged operationally with al Qaeda for years, well before Fort Hood and the Nigerian but he avoided public linkage with al Qaeda and sought protection under the guise of a normal cleric, which the Yemeni government provided.

Xinhuanet — U.S. ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein accused the U.S.-born Yemeni preacher Anwar al-Awlaki of being behind the detected parcel bombs mailed from Yemen to the U.S. late October, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news website reported Wednesday.

Feierstein confirmed in an interview with Al Arabiya that “al- Awlaki was behind the two al-Qaida-made package bombs shipped through cargo planes bound for the United States late October, a plot that was foiled at the airports of Dubai and London following tip-offs from Saudi intelligence officials.”

Feierstein also said the Washington administration will not grant Yemen with Predator drones, but it will do the job from the Yemeni skies by itself while continuing supporting and training the Yemeni ground troops to combat terrorist militants, including al-Awlaki, who poses threats to Yemen, U.S. and Europe.

People’s Daily: Al-Qaida militants on Tuesday gunned down a security colonel working at the Yemen LNG company in southern Shabwa province, local official said.

“Gunmen of al-Qaida in Shabwa’s provincial capital city of Ataq intercepted the car of Colonel Ali Thwaba, who is also the security director of foreign oil and gas companies in Yemen LNG company in Balhaf city port, and shot him dead,” the official told Xinhua by phone on condition of anonymity.

Update: a vid of a march in al Dhalie yesterday 10/28 posted at SadaAden

With the Yemeni government’s concerted crackdown on the media, internet, journalists, bloggers and newspapers, these protests are not getting much media attention inside or outside of Yemen, but its a weekly occurrence.

Siyas: 8 southern Yemeni cities protested on the Southern Prisoner’s Day, that is staged every Thursday in order to demand the release some Southern Movement detainees and to support the movement’s demands that seeks to separate and restore the former state of South Yemen, that merged with North Yemen to form the recent Republic of Yemen in 1990. (Read on …)

Of course they did.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) : As many as 15,000 people – most of whom are children – have been displaced by the recent clashes, which are based around Mayfa’a district in Shabwah governorate. Air strikes have been reported, UNICEF said yesterday.

Yemen Observer: Al-Qaeda retaliated shortly after Yemen’s security forces drove them out of al-Huta village, in the southern province of Shabwa earlier this week.

Al-Qaeda tried, unsuccessfully late Wednesday , to assassinate the military, security and political leaders who led and supervised the campaign against them in al-Huta.

One soldier was killed and seven others injured when al-Qaeda fighters ambushed the governor of Shabwa Ali Al Ahmadi, deputy chief of general staff, Salem Al Kotn, security director, Ahmad Al Makdashi and other officials in the area of Yashbom, between Atak and al-Saeed. Security forces are chasing after the attackers who used RPGs to strike the convoy of officials. (Read on …)

I knew they were going to target General Nuba one way or another. See my 9/26 post, “Next Saleh will discover al Qaeda near General Nasser al Nuba’s camp”. I was close, but instead they blamed him for the assault on the governor of Shabwa’s convoy. Its a ridiculous charge. While General Nuba created and leads the association of retired military officers, he’s never organized them into a military unit. Among all the factions, and since 2007, the Retired Military Association has the most self-discipline and has always remained peaceful, in spite of tremendous provocations. The end result will likely be the same. The military is preparing a second wave of assaults in Shabwa, the vicinity of al Hota they say. Also see southern movement statement below. Who the Yemeni state blames for anything is a function of who they are talking to. For CNN, its al Qaeda.

(CNN) — Yemen has dispatched paramilitary forces to a southern province following an ambush on the local governor by suspected al Qaeda militants, a government official said Thursday.

The forces are preparing for a second offensive on Shabwa province “very soon,” said the Yemeni official who did not want to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media. (Read on …)