Suicide bomber kills 45 at funeral in Jaar Yemen

Violence continues in Yemen. A U.S. drone strike allegedly killed five Al Qaeda members in eastern Yemen on Saturday. In the city of Jaar a suicide bomber killed at least 45 people in an attack on a funeral of a pro-government tribesman.

According to the Yemeni Defense Ministry a suicide bomber struck during a wake on Saturday night in the city of Jaar. The city used to be a stronghold of Ansar al-Sharia who held it until a recent government offensive that retook the city in June. Although the militants have retreated into the mountains they continue terrorist activities such as this.
As is common when these event happen different sources give different casualty figures. NBC news gives a casualty figure of 25 killed. Both sources agree that the bomber was targeting a group of tribal fighters who had supported the Yemeni armed forces against Ansar al-Sharia. Most of Abyan province had been taken over by Ansar al-Sharia until the offensive. The Abyan governor said."This is a cowardly, criminal, terrorist attack,"
The attack shows that the threat of Islamic militancy in Yemen is far from over. The attack killed Abdul Al Sayed who led the "Popular Committees" formed to fight militants. Two of his brothers were also killed. While the Yemen government with U.S. help has reclaimed control of Abyan province residents claim that the militants are simply laying low and regrouping. At the time of the offensive the militants said that they had made a tactical retreat to fight a guerrilla war.
Saba the Yemeni state news agency said.A number of individuals from these gangs took refuge in the mountains next to the north of Jaar after the big defeat they were dealt by the army and Popular Committees... Today they resume their cowardly suicide operations".

The militants have also assassinated a top southern military commander and killed four policemen just last week. The U.S. is continuing drone attacks against suspected militants.
According to an anonymous official a U.S. drone attack killed five Al Qaeda members traveling in one vehicle in eastern Yemen. The official said:
"A drone fired two missiles at an all-terrain vehicle... killing its five occupants, all members of al Qaeda."
The attack was in Al-Qotn a village in Hadramut province. According to witnesses the area of the attack was sealed off. This keeps any independent observers from seeing what actually happened.
The Yemeni government still faces separatist movements in both the north and south of the country and Islamic militants as well as continuing internal divisions. The original youthful protesters for democracy seem to be more or less out of the picture for now. The long conflict in the country has also produced a humanitarian disaster with many displaced and hungry people.

Yemen; Army represses separatists in Aden

In the news emphasis is upon the retaking of territory especially in Abyan province from Islamic militants. However, another military operation is going on against separatists in Aden.
Aden was at one time the capital of a separate secular state supported by the former Soviet Union. Many southerners feel that the central government does little for them and want to be independent again.
After a public protest calling for succession the area of Mansoura has been continually harassed by the military. In mid June protests were crushed now people are so afraid of being shot if they go out on the streets that they stay in their homes for the most part.
Though secessionists have held mostly peaceful protests they are attacked by authorities almost as vigorously and violently as Islamic militants. Yemen also faces northern Shiite separatists the Houti in the far north. For more see this article.

Yemen: Red Cross worker killed in air strike

The International Red Cross reports that a worker was killed in an air strike yesterday (June 20) while on a humanitarian mission in southern Yemen. The Yemeni national Hussein Saleh was traveling with three other workers in the north of Abyan province.

Unfortunately the group were in an unmarked vehicle. Government forces are battling Al Qaeda militants in the area.

According to military officials three militants were killed and 4 injured  in an air strike against two cars in the same general area. It is not clear if this is part of the same incident in which the Red Cross worker was killed. Air strikes that are often claimed to be by Yemeni forces can be US. drone or other strikes. U.S. Special Forces are involved in directing some operations.

In Geneva a Red Cross spokesperson said:“The circumstances are still unclear,” Saleh was married with four children and his wife was pregnant. The spokesman said:“He was a very motivated and devoted staff member. He played a tremendously crucial role within his team helping hundreds of thousands of people in the south, and lost his life while performing humanitarian work.” For more see this article.

Yemen: After being driven out of occupied territories Al Qaeda vows to return to mountains and caves

An article by a Yemen-based journalist relays reports from an Al Qaeda leader in Abyan province who claims Al Qaeda has decided that it is too costly in terms of money spent on providing services to occupy cities and large swathes of territory. However, this expenditure no doubt helped them win over the populace in cities they controlled. Providing services was something the central government did not do well.

The leader said that the group used to spend in the city of Jaar 300,000 U.S. each month and in the whole of Abyan province 2 million U.S. dollars per month. One wonders where they were able to get the money. In any event it seems clear that the militants were simply unable to defend themselves against the Yemen armed forces combined with U.S. drones and supervision. They were bound to eventually lose the territory they had occupied.

The militants say that all their funds now can be directed to guerrilla war and terrorist attacks. Several cities were held by the militants for a year and a half..One wonders if the militants will not also mingle in with the general population in cities and plan terrorist attacks against Yemeni security forces and any American Special Forces they discover. For more see the full article.

Yemen: U.S. backs Yemeni attacks on militants in the south

This Reuters report describes clashes with Islamist militants as part of attacks to retake territory as U.S. backed. It would seem that U.S. special forces are involved in directing Yemeni forces. Perhaps intelligence is provided through drones and perhaps too some of the air attacks are by the U.S. as well. Very often descriptions will be of Yemeni air attacks when they are in fact by the U.S.

Indeed the first strikes by the U.S. in Yemen were all attributed to Yemen until photographic evidence was provided that showed unquestionably that some of the weapons were only in the U.S. arsenal. The reporter responsible for this revelation is still in a Yemeni jail at the request of the U.S. even though Yemen was about to free him!

The territory that the Yemeni government is trying to regain was taken over by Islamic militants last year while protesters including some of the opposition now sharing power were trying to depose former President Saleh. The offensive is causing a humanitarian disaster but that is just collateral damage to increasing the power of the Hadi central government supported by the GCC including Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. See this article for description of the complete humanitarian mess in Yemen.

There has been a pledge of 4 billion in aid to Yemen last month by the Gulf States and western countries but it remains to be seen how much will be delivered and get through to the people who actually need it immediately.

Over 40 per cent of Yemenis live on less than 2 dollar U.S. a day. In May aid agencies said that less than half of Yemenis have enough to eat. Not surprisingly they find nourishment in radical Islamist ideologies. For more see this article.

ACLU seeks information on horrendous U.S. missile attack in Yemen in 2009

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) together with the Center for Constitutional Rights have filed a request for information about a U.S. missile attack that killed dozens of civilians in the remote village of al-Majalah in the province of Abyan. The request is under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The attack happened back on Dec. 17th 2009 the first known missile strike in Yemen carried out by the Obama administration. There were one or more cruise missiles that were launched from a U.S. warship or submarine. There were reports that cluster bombs were used as well..

Forty one people were killed in the remote mountain village in Abyan province. The targets were purportedly militants according to the government which also claimed full responsibility for the attack. However among the dead were 21 children and 14 women.

I have included a tape of almost half an hour on the U.S involvement in Yemen. There is an interview with people from the village attack beginning around 10 minutes into the video. For more see this article.

It is highly unlikely that any information will be released or that the U.S. will even admit to the attack. The Saleh government often claimed that they mounted attacks that were in effect by the U.S. Indeed Saleh authorities joke about this in memos released by Wikileaks as the video appended points out. The release of this information will be said to be against national security interests..

Yemen: Drones, deaths and violence in clashes with militants

Among the victims of the latest violence were three children killed by an IED. The Yemen defence ministry said that three local Al-Qaeda militants were killed in the province of Bayda.

The ministry said that the three were killed in a Yemeni air strike. However a security official told AFP that the strike was by a U.S. drone. This fits the pattern of the Yemeni government always taking responsibility for attacks that are carried out by U.S. drones. Usually the U.S. does not acknowledge the attacks unless they hit a high profile target such as Anwar al-Awlaki.

Security officials also said a man was killed and five injured in another militant attack on the town of Loder. The man killed belonged to a local group formed to fight off militants along with the Yemeni security forces. On the same day three more of the same force were killed as militants wage a fierce battle for control of the town. In five days of fighting authorities report that 222 people have been killed including 183 militants as they try to seize the town.

. Since last May Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Sharia) have taken control of areas of several provinces including Zinjibar the capital of Abyan province. There are reports of several drone attacks and shelling from U.S. ships off shore. No doubt the violence will continue as Yemen faces internal divisions, two separatist rebellions, and a surge in militant attacks and takeover of territory. For more see this article.

So far there is little sign of any democratic reforms. The transitional government is made up of Saleh supporters and official opposition members who gave themselves immunity from prosecution for any past misdeeds along with former president Saleh and his relatives. The new president ran unopposed and was former vice-president under Saleh. This is all fine as far as the U.S. and the GCC are concerned.

Yemen: 64 killed in southern Yemen battle with militants

Fighting in the southern Yemen town of Lawder has taken a toll of 64 according to reports. This includes 18 troops at a base that was attacked by militants from Ansar al-Sharia.

Anti-militant tribes helped out the military and also lost members. Reportedly the military retreated inside their fortified base. The Yemeni military reported provided tribe members with arms.

The town is on the one major highway in the province of Abyan. Militants hold much of the province. The capital Zinjibar fell to the Anar al-Sharia group almost a year ago. They hold areas north of the town of Lawder as well. Gaining control of Lawder would link areas they occupy. The U.S. has made drone attacks on areas controlled by the group which the U.S,. considers linked to Al Qaeda. For more see this article.

Yemen: Government troops suffer heavy casualties in clashes with militants

Abyan province was taken over by militants often linked with Al Qaeda some time ago. It seems that the government has not regained control as yet. Yemeni officials claim at least 85 government soldiers and 25 militants have begun since fighting began yesterday.

AP news reported a total on both sides of 106 people killed and 55 soldiers taken prisoner.. Militants mounted surprise attacks on army posts on the edge of the capital of Abyan Zinjibar. Some described the attacks as a massacre.

In Aden an official at a military hospital said that at least 103 soldiers have been killed. He claimed that many soldiers died as a result of wounds received in the attacks in Zinjibar. Al Qaeda linked fighters took control of Zinjibar back in May 2011.

Since President Hadi was sworn in on Feb. 25th there have been a series of militant attack. As Hadi vowed to keep up former president Saleh's attack against Al Qaeda a suicide bomber killed 26 soldiers outside a palace in the province of Hadramaut.

No doubt the U.S. will provide Hadi with support both from the air and on the ground with special forces. However, the militants seem to be taking the initiative and launching pre-emptive strikes themselves. For more see this article.

Not just militants are opposed to the new government. Many protesters wanted former president Saleh, his relatives and cronies to be held responsible for their acts. The GCC deal supported by the U.S. granted them immunity. Separatists both in the north and south also oppose the new government. The situation is far from stable in Yemen. Saleh's cronies and relatives remain as key figures in the government.