Armies of Liberation

Update: Yemen Officials report he was not killed.

Original: Nice! The death of Ibrahim al Asiri is huge and should quell any whining doubting the threat from Anwar, who in reality was fully operational, focused on the US and associated with numerous plots. Al Asiri was responsible for the bomb in the assassination plot on Saudi Prince Naif, the Nigerian’s underwear bomb, the toner cartridges on the UPS plane, and they were experimenting with poisons including the poison perfume plot and there was the warning about riacin and the castor beans. Bad news dudes all around.

The fact that the Saudi bomb maker al Asiri was in the car with two American al Qaeda jihaddists shows in itself what they were up to. The drone strike likely saved the lives of untold thousands and whether Yemenis believe it or not, saved a lot of misery for the Yemeni people. Also the strike was executed perfectly in that there were no civilians anywhere around.

There has been some confusion that the location of Awlaki’s death (al Jawf en route to Marib) means he wasn’t involved in AQAP (??!! really I read that today) or their occupation of Zinjibar; however, earlier reports indicated the terrorists brought items looted from Abyan residents to Marib to be divided up there, causing tension along regional lines.

Now that they are dead, lets get back to the war of ideas and support representative democracy, equal rights and freedom of the press.

There’s less much grumbling about the strike in Yemen than there is in the US, beyond the expected statement by HOOD. Actually many Yemenis are happy to be free of the burden of Anwar and all are cursing AQAP because of the atrocities the fanatics are committing in Abyan, including executing a suspected witch and another man after a dispute ( link to vid here) and cutting off a teen’s arm for stealing. The boy later died. Over 100,000 fled al Qaeda when they took control of, and looted, the provincial capital Zinjibar and the families are living in schools in Aden since May.

Yesterday’s anti-government protests by millions around Yemen was themed in unity with and support of the Syrian people’s struggle against Assad. A secondary theme was in rejection of the fatwa, requested by President Saleh and delivered by 500 state clerics, that finds public demonstrations against the state and for regime change are illegitimate under Islam. I am quite concerned by the fatwa; through the years, Saleh fatwa’d his opposition before attacking them. Nonetheless I am trying to convince the Yemeni protesters to adopt AC/DC’s Highway to Hell as a theme song.

Saleh continues to dissemble, as he will unto infinity, saying that the protests have to end before the VP can sign the GCC initiative: He pointed out that signing of the Vice President to the initiate depends on the readiness of the other side, adding that the Gulf initiative states to remove the causes of tension as tension elements are known to all and power can not be transferred without implementing this item. Saleh also says General Ali Mohsen and Hamid al Ahmar should leave Yemen before he does. The only bright spot is that Sec. Clinton appears to have moved off the GCC plan to an agreement of principles; nonetheless Saleh has never been motivated to any action by what is in the best interests of the Yemeni people. He only operates in self-interest although not in a rational manner.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two US officials say the drone strike in Yemen that killed Anward al-Awlaki appears to have also killed al-Qaida’s top Saudi bomb-maker.

Officials say intelligence indicates Ibrahim al-Asiri also died in the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the death has not been officially confirmed.

Al-Asiri is the bomb-maker believed to have made the explosives used in the foiled Christmas Day airline attack in 2009 and last year’s attempted cargo plane bombing.

Al-Asiri’s death would make the attack perhaps the most successful single drone strike ever.

(HT: Weasel Zippers)

Excellent lets hop ehe brought back a substantial amount of inside information on AQAP. Maybe all their questionable practices like dressing up like women,

Riyadh, 4 Aug. (AKI) – A Saudi fugitive accused of being a member Al-Qaeda and hiding in neighbouring Yemen recently turned himself in to police in Saudi Arabia, according to newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat. (Read on …)

If so, then why didn’t they add it to the toner cartridges? On the other hand the now deceased Pakistani expert that came a while ago to Marib in theory trained them also on CW as well as explosives.

Znews: Riyadh: Al Qaeda planned to use a powerful poison in a failed attempt to blow up a Saudi deputy interior minister in 2009, a former militant from the terror network said in reports on Wednesday. (Read on …)

16 in Yemen they say, names below

Kingdom seeks Interpol help to arrest 47 terror suspects ARAB NEWS Published: Jan 10, 2011

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia on Sunday published a list of 47 wanted terror suspects abroad who are believed to be planning attacks in the country. The Kingdom has asked for Interpol’s help to track them down. (Read on …)

Well one would assume if you go infiltrate al Qaeda, thwart a plot of mass murder and then make it back alive, you would get a few perks like performing Hajj and getting your name dropped off the MWT list.

Shamar Press – Nasser Hagbani

بين المليونين الذين أدوا الركن الخامس من أركان الإسلام، حاج يحتفظ بأسرار تنظيم إرهابي يعمل على استهداف أمن المملكة ويتخذ اليمن مقراً. Among the two million who performed the fifth pillar of Islam, the pilgrim keeps the secrets of a terrorist organization works to target the security of Saudi Arabia and Yemen to take home. فقد مكّنت السلطات السعودية التائب جابر الفيفي من أداء مناسك الحج هذا العام. Saudi authorities have allowed the penitent Jaber Alfaifi of performing Hajj this year. وكان سلّم نفسه إلى السلطات السعودية بعد التنسيق مع نظيرتها اليمنية في محافظة لودر في أيلول (سبتمبر) الماضي، وأسقط اسمه من قائمة المطلوبين من عناصر تنظيم «القاعدة». He surrendered to Saudi authorities in coordination with counterparts in the Yemeni province of Lauder in September (September) the past, dropped his name from the list of most wanted members of the organization «base». (Read on …)

There have been many false and/or unsubstantiated statements from Yemen to the Saudis, one such incident prompted the canceling of the third donors conference in February 2009 when Yemen had to retract their announcement of seven arrested Saudis. The al Masdar article notes Yemen’s announcement of the arrest of a Saudi financier without notifying the Saudis (and they still have no confirmation) and during the Saada war giving coordinates for the Houthi leadership but really the location was General Ali Mohsen al Ahmar… Part of the difficulty in unpacking the “terror attacks” in and from Yemen is that sometimes different factions of the (Yemeni) royal family acts through their jihaddist proxies.

al Masdar: What is behind the deterioration of the relationship and lack of trust between the security of Yemen and Saudi Arabia?

Along with several other things, the incident revealed “packages” recent deep crisis of confidence between the security of Yemen and the Saudi government, and apparently it is a reflection of the deteriorating relationship between the two regimes, or vice versa. (Read on …)

Ammar Al Waeli is apparently multi-tasking in Saada, plotting with Qatani on Saudi while fighting the Houthis for Saleh. Naif al Qatani was reported dead in May by Abdulelah Shaea, normally a credible source on AQAP. The US sanctioned Qatani the same week. The attack was planned for 12/09, about the same time that the US resumed air strikes after a seven year lull.

Al Qaeda Planned to Attack Saudi Arabia during Saudi – Huthi Conflict – Report 21/10/2010
Awasat: Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat- Documents obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat reveal that Saudi Arabian national, Ahmed Abdel Aziz al-Jasser – who Yemen yesterday offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest – was planning to carry out a terrorist operation on Saudi soil during the conflict that took place between the Saudi military and the Huthi insurgents in late 2009. These documents also reveal that al-Jasser was working with 4 other Saudi nationals whose names are included on the Saudi Arabian list of 85 suspected militants wanted around the world. (Read on …)

Qatani was designated as a member of a terror group this week by the US. State Dept. and the UN along with Qasim al Reimi.

Guardian A senior leader of the al-Qaida cell which attempted to assassinate the British ambassador to Sanaa and blow up a US passenger jet last Christmas has been killed in Saudi Arabia, according to a Yemeni source close to the group.

Nayif Mohammed Saeed al-Qahtani, described as the link man between the Saudi and Yemeni branches of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), was killed in a shoot-out last month with Saudi security forces, according to a Yemeni journalist, AbdulElah Shaea. (Read on …)