US helps Saudi-led bombing missions in Libya

Ever since the Saudi-led bombing campaign began a year ago in late March, the Saudis and their allies have depended on U.S. tanker planes to refuel their aircraft while in flight,

Timothy Smith, spokesperson for the Air Forces Central Command(AFCENT) told the Air Force Times that the fueling continues: "We've flown 709 sorties involving 3,720 receivers, And we've offloaded 26,591,200 pounds of fuel" to foreign aircraft," AFCENT has been keeping track of its missions since April 3, 2015 shortly after the bombing campaign began. During the first few weeks a host of countries had jets involved in the bombing including Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE and other Gulf nations.

Houthi rebels captured much of western Yemen including the port of Aden before the bombing campaign began. The internationally recognized government of Manour Hadi fled into exile in Ryadh, Saudi Arabia. With the Saudi-led campaign, the Houthis were driven out of Aden and much of south western Yemen but still hold the capital and areas in the north west. The Hadi government has moved to Aden. The Houthis are Shia Muslims supported by Iran, hence the large contingent of Sunni Arab states supporting the campaign to reinstate the Hadi government. The Saudi-led campaign has displaced more than 2 million people and killed thousands, many civilians. While the number of attacks have declined they are still ongoing. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said that while the air strikes are less frequent than they used to be, Sana'a, the capital, and the Taiz area as well as Marib are still hit on a semi-regular basis.

The Saudi-led bombing has been sharply criticized for bombing civilian targets and even medical facilities run by Doctors Without Borders. There was also a critical report from a UN panel. Usually, the Saudis simply deny accusations but they have now announced a "high-.level independent committee" to investigate the bombardments, which some rights groups have even termed war crimes. The coalition also said that it was establishing a hotline with Doctors Without Borders. Three of its facilities have been subject to attack in recent months.

The coalition has been accused of using cluster bombs a number of times, including on Sana'a, the capital controlled by the Houthi rebels. While the coalition denies using them, evidence seems to show they were used. Some of the cluster bombs appear to come from the U.S. While there is an international ban on cluster bombs neither the Saudis nor the Americans have signed on to the treaty.

Saudi-led airstrike in Yemen kills over one hundred at wedding party

A wedding party in southern Yemen was hit by Saudi-led aerial bombardment Monday, killing up to 135 people, including many women and children. The tents set up for the wedding may have been mistaken for a military encampment.

The bombing campaign is accused of killing many civilians and health facilities have been attacked on several occasions. A recent attack was in January on a Doctors Without Borders clinic. Several cases of cluster bombs being used have been claimed with considerable evidence. Fragments show some of the bombs were made in the U.S. Saudis deny the bombs have been used. The UN has warned that the use of the cluster bombs in populated areas could be a war crime. Since its beginning in early spring last year, the Saudi-led bombing is estimated to have killed more than 3,500 people with aids groups, claiming that perhaps half of the casualties were civilians. The UN claims that in the conflict so far about 6,000 have been killed with about half being civilians. The Saudi coalition attacks have caused massive damage to Yemen's infrastructure. Some military experts question the effectiveness of the bombing campaign. Iran supports the Houthi rebels, who are Shiites, while the majority of Yemenis are Sunni.

The strike on the wedding was just outside the Red Sea port of Mokha. The groom in the ceremony was associated with the rebel Houthis who took over much of western and southern Yemen including Aden but have now been dislodged from the port city and much of the south. However, the Houthis still hold the capital and many surrounding areas.

The Saudis are joined by troops from the UAE and even mercenaries as well as those opposed to the Houthis. Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula(AQAP) has allied itself with Sunni tribes in some areas to fight the Houthis. But AQAP also fought against the government of Mansour Hadi when it was in power. After being in exile for some time, the Hadi government is now located in Aden.

AQAP has extended its influence and enlarged the area it controls since the conflict started. The Saudi coalition has done little to fight AQAP. No doubt it sees the group as a valuable force to fight against the Houthis. AQAP controls the key coastal city of Mukalla and the province of Hadrawhmat. Recently they captured the key city of Azzan in the province of Shabwa. The U.S. continues drone strikes against AQAP. The Islamic State is also making its presence known in Yemen. Although it does not hold territory it mounts suicide attacks both against the Houthis and the Hadi government. Most recently they attacked the presidential palace in Aden.

While there have been several attempts at establishing a ceasefire and peace talks, so far none have been successful. The Saudis may believe they can achieve a military victory but so far the struggle has simply dragged on with both sides suffering considerable casualties. The conflict is displacing many Yemenis and causing a humanitarian catastrophe.

Islamic State in Yemen attacks presidential palace in Aden, Yemen

A suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle as he rammed into cement blocks protecting the gate of the presidential palace in Aden, Yemen, the local police chief Shalal Shaei told Al Jazeera.

Shaei said at least seven people were killed and another 15 people wounded by the blast. The dead included soldiers. Another report claimed five people were killed. A group affiliated with the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Islamic State is in competition with Al Qaeda in the Arabia Peninsula (AQAP), who has taken advantage of the civil war against the Houthi rebels to extend its area of influence and control in Yemen. It has also allied itself with local Sunni tribes to fight back against the Houthis. It virtually controls the province of Hadrahmut east of Aden and its capital city, Mukalla.

A Saudi-led coalition has beaten back the Houthis from the port city of Aden and surrounding areas. The Saudis have led an extensive bombing campaign against Houthi-held areas since last March. Prime Minister Mansour Hadi recently returned to Yemen to set up his government. He and his government had long been forced into exile in Saudi Arabia because of the Houthi advance.

A report by a panel of 18 UN experts documented 119 sorties by the Saudi-led coalition "relating to violations of international humanitarian law" and claimed that "many attacks involved multiple air strikes on multiple civilian objects." Rights groups in the U.S. and UK have called on their government to stop sales of weapons to the Saudis that could be used in these attacks. The report said all sides had violated international humanitarian law. Evidence shows that the Saudis used cluster bombs. There is an international ban on their use but neither Saudi Arabia nor the U.S. have signed on to the ban.

The aid agency Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) demanded an investigation of an attack on one of its hospitals that it claims killed six people and wounded at least seven others. Most were medical staff and patients. In the last three months MSF has seen two hospitals, a clinic and an ambulance hit.Raquel Ayora, MSF Director of Operations said: “The way war is being waged in Yemen is causing enormous suffering and shows that the warring parties do not recognize or respect the protected status of hospitals and medical facilities. We witness the devastating consequences of this on people trapped in conflict zones on a daily basis.”Nearly 6,000 people have been killed, around half of them civilians, since the coalition began air strikes in March of 2014..

Another MSF hospital in Yemen hit in Saudi-led bombing in Yemen

A hospital being run by Doctors Without Borders — also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres(MSF) — in Taiz, Yemen was bombed, injuring at least nine people including two staff members.

Two people have life-threatening injuries. The clinic had treated almost 480 patients over the two days before the attack. The injured were transferred to two other hospitals run by MSF.

MSF Director in Yemen, Jerome Alin, insisted there was no way the Saudis could not know the facility was a hospital as they were given the coordinates of their sites on a regular basis, the last time on November 29. Alin emphasized that the bombing of civilians and hospitals is a violation of international humanitarian law.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the bombing and also stressed that "medical facilities and medical personnel are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law." The UN called for an immediate impartial investigation.

In the case of earlier incidents the Saudis have simply denied accusations that they hit areas and facilities that do not contain military targets. However, this time Saudia Arabia says it will investigate the allegations. What is needed is an independent investigation, such as the MSF has recommended in the case of the U.S. bombing in Kunduz. The U.S. was instrumental in helping to block a previously proposed UN investigation into Saudi bombings. The U.S. is also a supplier of bombs to the Saudis with a recent $1.29 billion sale of smart bombs. The US and Afghanistan have so far refused to grant an independent investigation into the Kunduz bombing that killed thirty people even though the military report on the incident is packed with problems and ignores much evidence that the bombing was deliberate.

On October 26, there was another attack by the Saudi-led coalition on an MSF hospital in the northern Sa'ad Governorate. Even though both the UN and the MSF confirmed the airstrikes were carried out by the coalition "beyond doubt," the Saudi authorities simply denied responsibility. The coordinates of the facility had been shared with the Saudis. The area bombed is controlled by the Houthi rebels. No doubt the Saudis do not like the idea of their enemies getting medical treatment. The hospital was attacked for two hours. There was a clearly visible MSF logo on the roof of the facility. As well as hospitals, the Saudi-led coalition is accused of bombing a wedding, an Oxfam aid warehouse, and residential neighborhoods. It has also used cluster bombs that are banned, except that neither the U.S. nor Saudi Arabia have signed on to the ban.

Amnesty International estimates two-thirds of civilian deaths and property destruction in the conflict has been caused by the bombing campaign, which began last March. As of the end of October, the World Health Organization(WHO) reported more than 5,700 people killed with at least 2,615 being civilians and 573 children. Another approximately 27,000 persons have been injured. MSF has treated more than 16,000 patients and operates in 21 different Yemen governorates. MSF provides free health services in more than 70 countries. More and more it appears to be targeted, since one side, almost always the "good guys" such as the US, Afghans, and Saudis resent their enemies receiving treatment. The one exception is an attack by "bad guy" Assad on an MSF hospital in rebel held territory in Syria.

The Saudi-led and U.S.-supported mission in Yemen has devastated the country, with the UN warning that the "health and education systems in the country are on the brink of collapse." Almost 80 percent of Yemen's people are in desperate need of humanitarian aid. U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, claimed in a visit to Saudi Arabia late in November that the bombing and ground invasion is helping "accomplish significant progress in Yemen." The coalition has recaptured the southern port of Aden and surrounding areas and is now fighting for control of the key central city of Taiz but at enormous cost. So far attempts to agree to a ceasefire and peace have fallen through. The coalition is sending many more troops including mercenaries from as far away as Colombia. It appears that the coalition believes it will soon defeat the Houthis. The war has been a huge bonus for jihadist groups particularly Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAM) who have extended their area of control including to Mukalla east of Aden. The Islamic State also is beginning to exhibit its presence with violent attacks.

Saudis and allies paying steep price for intervention in Yemen

As long as the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi rebels in Yemen engaged solely in a bombing campaign, they were free of casualties except for a few losses at the southern Saudi border.

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Recently however, the coalition has sent troops to help retake the port of Aden and aid southern militia to clear out other areas in the south. The result was almost inevitable. The coalition is now paying the price in casualties. The first major incident involved the loss of 45 UAE troops, five from Bahrain and 10 more Saudi Arabians killed.

The Houthis fired a missile and scored a hit on a weapons depot in Maarib province that caused a huge blast that killed the 45 UAE troops. The Saudis confirmed that 10 of their troops were killed as well. This is the first time the Saudis have confirmed having troops in the area. The Bahrain government reported their casualties happened on the Yemen Saudi border but gave no details. There is sporadic cross-border firing. The coalition was quick to reply to the carnage inflicted by the Houthis with revenge bombing attacks.

The revenge bombings killed many innocent people who had nothing to do with the Houthi raid. There were 44 civilians reported killed including 24 in the capital Sanaa. Even more ironic was an attack in northern Jawf Province. Saudi warplanes attacked a funeral wake for a man who had been killed by the Houthis. Twenty more tribesmen were killed in the strike.

Sheik Mohamed Al Nahyan said in a meeting with exiled Yemen preisdent Mansour Hadi that the UAE would continue the operation against Houthi militias in Yemen until security and stability are restored to the country. The problem is that many of those loyal at present to Hadi in the south, are actually southern separatists. They want an autonomous or even independent south Yemen. They will fight the Houthis, but when Hadi was in power they opposed him as well often even clashing with his armed forces. The Saudis and the UAE also face troops loyal to former president Saleh who has sided with the Houthis. The coalition also is confronted by a much stronger presence of Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula(AQAP), who not only have seized several important cities including Mukalla the capital of Hadrawmut, but also occupy part of Aden. They have formed alliances with local tribes against the Houthi. They are not likely to look kindly on the return of Hadi from exile made possible only by foreign military force. Intervention is not a recipe for stability and security but internal conflict without end. Hadi and the coalition insist that they war will go on until they retake the whole country. However, if casualties continue to mount, there may finally be a push for peace.

Already the toll of those killed in the war is upwards of 4,500 people including hundreds of children according to the United Nations. At the same time, many have been displaced internally or have fled the country. Those who remain face famine and lack of basic necessities and health services on the brink of collapse as shown on the appended video.

Yemeni Southern Movement militia capture town from Houthi rebels

The Popular Resistance militia group, associated with a Southern Yemen secessionist movement, have finally taken control of the small city of Dalea from Houthi rebels after battling for months.

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The militia finally pushed into the center of the city of about 90,000, capturing the 33rd Armoured Brigade base and killing seven Houthi rebels in the process. Another report, indicates that only some areas of the city including Bardan ad Akhaszan have been retaken. Significantly, in the areas retaken the flag of Southern Yemen is being raised, not the Yemen flag. Some in the Saudi coalition are claiming credit for the capture of the city as part of the Saudi-led war effort, since the city and surrounding area has been subject to constant bombing. Much of Dalea has been destroyed by bombing.

While the Southern Secessionists may be temporary allies with the Saudi-led coalition, they are enemies of Hadi and certainly would not welcome him back to Yemen unless he should agree to grant independence to the south. When the Hadi-government controlled the city last year their soldiers came under attack.

The secessionist movement and Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula( AQAP) as well are taking advantage of the Saudi battle against the Houthis to further their own aims and seize territory. In Aden, much of the battle against the Houthis is being waged by defense and militia groups who support the separatist movement. This feature of the conflict appears to be studiously ignored by many analysts. These people hate the Houthis but they hate Hadi too.

In other Yemen news, peace talks that were to be held in Geneva are postponed. President in exile, Hadi, had demanded that the Houthis give back some of the territory they had seized as a condition of attending the talks.

UN imposes sanctions on Houthis as conflict continues in Yemen

Sanaa - In a sign that the Saudi-led bombing campaign and offensive against Houthi rebels is not going well, the newly minted vice-president appointed by the internationally recognized president Mansour Hadi has urged the Houthi fighters to end their offensive.

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Vice-President Khaled Bahah urged the Houthis to end their offensive in the south, particularly in the port city of Aden. He said that this could be a good will gesture that could lead to peace initiatives. He does not mention that Iran has already proposed peace initiatives. Of course Iran has no right to propose peace initiatives. As Abdulrahman al-Rashed, described as a veteran and internationally acclaimed journalist puts it: If the Houthis and deposed president Saleh are serious about a reconciliation, then they know who to turn to - to the Gulf Cooperation Council who represents the regional and familial system that’s closer to Yemen.

Of course the Gulf Cooperation Council is the same group that supports the Saudi-led bombing and offensive against the Houthis, and of which Saudi Arabia is a leading member. With opinions such as this it is clear why al-Rashed has such high status as a journalist.

Bahah is an obvious figure to put forth this apparently conciliatory gesture since he was accepted by the Houthis as a candidate for prime minister back in January during a failed attempt to form a government acceptable to the Houthis. Hadi no doubt realizes he has a very tarnished brand and little support, and is attempting to bolster his legitimacy through appointing Bahah and have him propose this move.No doubt, Hadi learned these types of tricks while he himself was Vice President under former president Saleh. Saleh is now allied with the Houthis but while in power he continually attacked them. Saleh ceded power to Hadi after a deal brokered by that familial system al-Rashed references that gave Saleh and his cronies immunity from crimes committed during the Arab Spring uprisings in which many protesters were killed. As with Hadi, Bahah speaks from the safety of the Saudi capital Ryadh. All this is no doubt done with the approval of the Saudis. The Saudis would be happy if the Houthis withdraw from the south and Aden. The Houthis no doubt might even agree but would surely want action in return such as the cessation of bombing and a ceasefire by militia fighting them while negotiating a government acceptable to each side. Of course none of this will have any effect on the battle of Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula(AQAP) and its advance s against the Houthis often allied with local Sunni tribes. Bahah also called on all troops and security force personnel to accept the command of the Hadi government and protect the country.

A perceptive article in the International Institute for Strategic Studies(IISS) notes that there is an irony in Saleh's support for the Houthis since he was their mortal enemy during his own presidency. However, Saleh wants to promote the military and political power of his son in opposition to Hadi and those loyal to him in the armed forces.. There is always the possibility of his changing sides if the right deal were offered to him. The pro-Hadi forces are even weaker it would seem then they appear to be since those fighting the Houthis in the south in many cases are local separatist militias who do not want to be part of a Hadi government either: As the IISS article puts it: " The role of southern militias in restoring Hadi is highly contentious, since they have consistently advocated independence from northern Yemen. This suggests that they are fighting to secure territory to pave the way for secession. This prospect has become increasingly viable since the war united southern factions, while airdrops of weapons may finally give them a military advantage. Southern militias have in fact framed their role as defending south Yemen rather than affirming Hadi’s legitimacy, thus casting doubt over the very notion of Aden as the ‘government’s last stronghold’."

In the video appended below the tank seen at the first is flying not the Yemeni flag but the flag of the southern separatist movement:

The UN has long been a supporter of the "familial system," which also includes the US. The UN Security Council had already imposed sanctions on Saleh and two Houthi leaders way back in November of last year and the other important family member the US dutifully followed suit:"The United States hit Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and two Houthi rebel commanders with sanctions Monday, two days after Saleh walked out on the new government. The US Treasury said it was blacklisting Saleh, Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim and Abd al-Khaliq al-Huthi “for engaging in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security or stability of Yemen”.The UN Security Council has now imposed an arms embargo on the Houthi rebels and also Saleh and his son. The US again followed suit by imposing sanctions on Saleh and two Houthi leaders once again:"The U.S. Treasury Department named Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, and leading backer Ahmed Ali Saleh, son of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, to its blacklist, freezing any assets they might have on US property and forbidding Americans from dealings with them."These actions indicate that at present the "family" are not really interested in a negotiated solution so much as an imposed solution backed by military force and sanctions. Perhaps the Houthis will give in but this is doubtful unless they are offered more to give up their struggle. No matter what happens, AQAP is gaining considerable ground in the conflict and southern separatists will be in a position to push their demands.

The UN answers to the demands of the family as is shown in the appended video. Jamal Benomar who has worked tirelessly for a political solution was still attempting to do so but this ran afoul of the desires of the family and so he had to resign, to move on to another assignment,.

Houthi rebels in Yemen consolidate power by seizing presidential palace

Sanaa - In Yemen, Houthi rebels are reported to be in control of the presidential palace in the capital Sanaa. President Mansour Hadi is thought to be inside. Al Jazeera reports, based on witness accounts and security sources, that the seizure took place after a brief clash with the security guards at the presidential compound. Yesterday, the rebels seized a military base on a hill overlooking the palace. Yesterday as well, officials claimed that a ceasefire had been declared after a six hour fight between the Presidential Guard and the rebels.

There were troops deployed around the residence of President Hadi in Sanaa. Information Minister Nadia al-Sakkaf said that the Houthis have taken control of the state-run Republic of Yemen television station as well as the news agency Saba. She said: "This is a step toward a coup and it is targeting the state's legitimacy." There were two separate ceasefires agreed to, designed to facilitate ongoing negotiations today. The chief negotiator for the Houthi movement Ansarallah delivered a speech listing the Houthi grievances against the government. He claimed that president Hadi had failed to implement the terms of a peace deal with the Houthis agreed to last year in September, the Peace and National Partnership Agreement(PNPA). The Yemeni government accuses the Houthis of breaking the deal.

 Al Jazeera's producer in Sanaa, Khaled al-Hammadi said that Houthi fighters have "taken over and controlled completely the presidential palace." He claimed that the Third Brigade of the presidential guards surrendered without resisting and simply left the palace in spite of the fact that the brigade is said to have 280 Russian late-model tanks. Another report from Al Jazeera reporter Omar al Saleh said he had received reports that although Hadi was safe, his residence was surrounded by Houthi fighters.

The UN Security Council is holding consultations on the worsening situation in Yemen. Jamal Benomar, the UN special envoy to Yemen. had reported to the group on the latest situation but was now on his way back to Yemen. Most members of the Council were opposed to any military intervention in Yemen. The UK ambassador to the UN said that the meeting's goal was to release a statement expressing support for Hadi and his government and "making it clear that the international community will not tolerate the spoilers of the transitional government". Hadi was affirmed as the "legitimate authority". The statement called for implementation of the PNPA agreement, and finalizing of the constitution.

 Reporter, Hashem Ahelbarra, from Al Jazeera said it appeared that the Houthis were giving Hadi a last chance to agree to a political settlement. Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi on TV claimed that the recent two days of fighting that has been condemned by both US president Obama and the UN's Ban Ki-moon were attempts to protect a power-sharing deal, the PNPA. His speech was critical of President Hadi a staunch US ally. The accord is strongly supported by the Houthis since it grants them participation in all military and civil state bodies. He said: "We ... will not hesitate to impose any necessary measures to implement the peace and partnership agreement."

The Houthis have denied that they are attempting to topple the Yemeni government. Although there had been earlier gunfire at the house of Hadi, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti a member of the Houthi Politburo said there were no plans to target Hadi. He also claimed that Popular Committees had acted at the presidential palace to stop a local officer who was attempting to steal weapons from the compound. Obama's senior adviser Valerie Jarret claimed Obama was following events in Sanaa closely. Jarret said: ""He's obviously is in touch with the folks on the ground, our embassy, he's getting regular updates from his national security team...We are in close touch with our embassy.".." President Hadi has supported US drone strikes against Al Qaeda and joint operations as well.

US drone strikes complicate struggle in Yemen

On Monday night drone strikes targeting Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula(AQAP) positions near the central town of Rada killed 20 suspected militants, according to both tribal sources and witnesses.

While the US is the only country operating drones in Yemen, the US rarely confirms strikes. The Yemeni president Hadi supports the strikes in his battle against AQAP but they are unpopular among the general population. The area around Rada is being defended by AQAP along with Sunni tribal allies against an offensive by Shiite Houthi rebels. The rebels in turn appear to have the support of elements in the armed forces.
The Houthis' main base is in the north of Yemen, near the Saudi border, but they have expanded territory under their control and taken the Red Sea Port of Hudeida last month and also occupied the capital Sanaa in September. The Saudis are concerned about these developments on their border and oppose the Houthi offensive. Now the US has intervened directly in a manner that can only help the Houthis and also alienate Sunni tribes allied with AQAP in the fight against the Shiites.
 Local sources said that armed fighters had killed 22 rebels in attacks in the area on Monday. The attacks came after a four-day deadline expired for the rebels to withdraw. The army deployed hundreds of militia to the southern port of Aden to keep it from coming under control of either the rebels or Al Qaeda. However, there is also a southern movement that could be a threat as well since they are demanding independence from the north. Militia commander Adbullatif Al Sayed said: “We came to Aden to protect security and military institutions as well as vital installations, in coordination with the leadership of the fourth military region. We will confront any armed group attempting to undermine security and stability in Aden, whether the Houthis or Al Qaeda."
 The Houthi rebels reached a deal not to enter the mostly Sunni city of Taez with a population of half a million to avoid fighting within the city. Just a few days ago competing factions including the Houthis and the Sunni Islamist Al-Islah party signed an agreement to set up a technocratic government. President Hadi and the prime minister Khaled Bahah were given the task of forming the new government. Abdel Jubari of the liberal Justice and Construction Party said: “It is a compromise agreed to overcome the question of sharing out ministerial portfolios between the various groups” The agreement on a new government does not seem to have stopped clashes between the Houthis and others. 
Earlier in Rada a suicide bomber had killed 20 Houthi fighters and three days of fighting had killed as many as 250. The intervention of the US in bombing AQAP in the area will turn the majority Sunni population in Yemen against the US and create even more problems for embattled president Hadi who is a firm ally of the US.

Greenwald: Cruise Missile Attacks in Yemen

While these attacks are condemned in reports in the Muslim world they are praised in the west, for example by Admiral Mullen. The attacks represent a clear escalation in the conflict and of US involvement.
Cruise Missile Attacks in Yemen At the same time Defence Secretary Gates is pressing for a 2 billion dollar fund to help stabilise unstable regimes. This is from informationclearinghouse.

By Glenn Greenwald

December 21, 2009 - "Salon" -- Given what a prominent role "Terrorism" plays in our political discourse, it's striking how little attention is paid to American actions which have the most significant impact on that problem. In addition to our occupation of Iraq, war escalation in Afghanistan, and secret bombings in Pakistan, President Obama late last week ordered cruise missile attacks on two locations in Yemen, which "U.S. officials" say were "suspected Al Qaeda hideouts." The main target of the attacks, Al Qaeda member Qasim al Rim, was not among those killed, but: "a local Yemeni official said on Sunday that 49 civilians, among them 23 children and 17 women, were killed in air strikes against Al-Qaeda, which he said were carried out 'indiscriminately'." Media reports across the Muslim world -- though, not of course, within the U.S. -- are highlighting the dead civilians from the U.S. strike (one account from an official Iranian outlet began: "U.S. Nobel Peace Prize laureate President Barack Obama has signed the order for a recent military strike on Yemen in which scores of civilians, including children, have been killed, a report says").

Suspected Al-Qaeda leader in Yemen escapes raid.

Most headlines I have seen in other media note the claim that the deputy leader was killed. Of course there is no mention of any civilians being killed. Unless it is absolutely unavoidable the so-called collateral damage is not mentioned. The media usually but not always co-operates in this silence campaign. Note that the Yemen govt. denies that the US was involved in the attack. This is standard as the US is not exactly favored by many Yemenis.


Suspected al-Qaida leader in Yemen escapes raid

Yemeni official: US didn't fire missiles in strike against al-Qaida; deputy commander killed

Staff
AP News

Dec 19, 2009 07:23 EST

A military strike on al-Qaida's network in Yemen killed the deputy commander of the terrorist network's cell in Abyan province, the Yemeni government said.

Embassy spokesman Mohammed Albasha identified the dead man as Mohammed Al Kazimi, but said suspected al-Qaida leader Qasim al-Raymi, the intended target of this week's raid, escaped.

Al-Raymi is one of 23 militants who broke out of a prison in San'a in February 2006 and is at large. ....
The U.S. provided firepower and other aid to Yemen for the strike this week against suspected al-Qaida hide-outs and training sites within its borders, according to a New York Times report.

President Barack Obama approved the military and intelligence support, which came at the request of the Yemeni government.

Albasha denied the U.S. launched missiles in the attack.

Officials said at least 34 militants were killed in the Yemeni strike on Thursday in what was an unusually heavy assault as the Obama administration presses the unstable country for tougher action against al-Qaida.

Witnesses put the number killed at over 60 and said the dead were mostly civilians, including women and children. They denied the target was an al-Qaida stronghold, and one provincial official said only 10 militant suspects died.

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Did visit by McCain to Yemen precipitate anti-Shia offensive?

This is from an Iranian website although not not a government site. However the report is based upon an Arab website. It sounds rather conspiracy oriented. However there have been other reports that Yemen is allowing some Al Qaeda members to operate freely in return for support against the Houthi rebels who are Shia. There have been reports too that Iran is helping to finance the rebels. Certainly Yemen is in danger of losing part of its territory to separatists in the north but they are also facing rebellion in the south as well. No doubt the West is worried about Yemen and may indeed send troops. It has already carried out at least one drone attack. No doubt too that the US is happy enough that Saudi Arabia is attacking the rebels. However, to suppose that the US is actually actively recruiting Al Qaeda members to fight the rebels seems a bit of a stretch but then in the war on terror truth is often stranger than fiction!



Report: McCain's Yemen visit led to anti-Shia war

A recent air raid carried out on a residential area in the northern Yemeni province of Sa'dah by what were believed to be government or Saudi force
A meeting between the Yemeni president and a US delegation led by John McCain instigated the new round of fighting in northern Yemen, a report says.

At the time of the meeting, back in August, it was announced that the former US presidential candidate was meeting with Ali Abdullah Saleh to discuss the possibility of recruiting al-Qaeda forces for the Yemeni army, the Al-Minbar website reported.

According to the Arabic-language news outlet, the meeting focused on how al-Qaeda members could be persuaded to stand by the Yemeni army in the event of new clashes with the Shia Houthi fighters in the north.

The report said that McCain had embarked on the trip to Yemen after several closed-door discussions were held about the Arab state at the US congress.

The outcome of the secret discussions was a series of suggestions that were floated to President Barack Obama, the most important of which centered on the importance of "saving Yemen" before it becomes necessary to engage in a military intervention.

However, now that Sana'a and the US-backed Saudi government seem unable to defeat the fighters, despite repeated attacks and air raids, the US and their British allies plan to deploy their forces to Yemen, the site predicts.

As a prelude to the military attack, Washington has already released "hundreds" of al-Qaeda members from prisons in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Guantanamo and transferred them to Yemen with false nationalities, the report claimed.

The conflict between Sana'a and the Houthi fighters first began in 2004, but on August 11 the Yemeni army instigated a new wave of violence by launching a major offensive, dubbed Operation Scorched Earth, on the northern province of Sa'ada.

The government claimed that the fighters, who are named after their leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, seek to restore the Shia Zaidi imamate system, which was overthrown in a 1962 coup.

The Houthis, however, said that they are defending their people against government marginalization policies which they say have been adopted under pressure from Saudi-backed Wahhabi extremists, who consider Shias heretics.

The Saudi Arabian government has aggravated the situation by launching an offensive against northern Yemen based on an allegation that the Houthi fighters had killed two of its soldiers on the border.

While Riyadh insists that it is targeting Houthi positions on 'Saudi territory', the fighters say Yemeni villages are being targeted with deadly phosphorous bombs, which cause massive injuries among the Shia civilian population.

As Sana'a does not allow independent media into the conflict zone, there are no clear estimates available as to how many people have been killed in the Shia province of Sa'ada since the beginning of the unrest in 2004 and in the recent violence.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), however, estimates that since 2004 up to 175,000 people have been displaced by the fighting.

Many flee Saudi attacks on Yemen border

This is another disaster taking place away from much media scrutiny. The Yemeni govt. calls its operation Scorched Earth. Imagine if a NATO or US operation in Afghanistan were called that. Everyone would be screaming at the outrage but in north Yemen it doesn't matter. No doubt Pakistan is mounting a similar type of campaign against the Taliban in some of the border tribal areas. These results in both cases are humanitarian disasters. The battles are also stirring up hatred between Sunnis and Shiites in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is trying to curb the influence of Iran and Shias in the Middle East. This could strain relationships with Iraq and cause renewed internal conflict in Iraq.


Tent cities raised as Saudis flee border bombardment
By Agence France Presse (AFP)

Saturday, November 14, 2009






AHAD-ALMASARHA, Saudi Arabia: Thousands of Saudi Arabians are huddling in tent cities after abandoning their homes as fighting between Yemeni troops and Shiite rebels spilled across the border. They were evacuated from scores of villages earlier this month and relocated to camps far from the border as the Saudis began to bombard the Zaydi rebels in a bid to drive them back.

The UN Children’s Fund UNICEF said on Friday that 240 villages have reportedly been evacuated and more than 50 schools closed in Saudi Arabia since the conflict erupted.

Ali Hassan Jrad, 21, moved with his family from their home in the village of Al-Maqatba in the southern province of Jizan, to Ahad-Almasarha camp, home to about 1,000 Saudi evacuees.

“My family and I have been living in a tent, which is not equipped with air conditioning because there is no electricity,” Jrad told AFP.

“We get daily food rations … but services are lacking in the camp,” Jrad complained.

Saudi forces entered the fray on November 4, pounding rebel positions straddling the border on the 2,000-meter Jebel al-Dukhan mountain, after rebels killed a border guard and occupied two Saudi villages.

It was the first overt action by Saudi forces against the rebels, also known as Houthis, since Yemeni forces launched “Operation Scorched Earth” against the insurgents on August 11.

Saudi forces shelled and rocketed rebel positions inside

Saudi Arabia's intervention in Yemen could spark wider conflict

I would not be surprised if the US is encouraging the Saudis to go after Iran wherever it can. This could see more conflict in Iraq. Yemen is facing rebels on two fronts in the South and in the North and it would seem that Al Qaeda is very active in the country activity that seems to be tolerated. The struggle could result in wider Sunni Shia conflicts.


Riyadh ups the ante by joining Yemen war
SANAA, Yemen, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia's entry into Yemen's war against northern Shiite rebels has dramatically increased the stakes in a smoldering powder keg of conflicts in the Red Sea and Horn of Africa region, a key oil artery.

Riyadh's Nov. 4 commitment of ground and air forces along the border with Yemen's Saada province, the storm center in the five-year-old conflict between President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Houthi tribesmen, opened another front in the ever-widening proxy war between Sunni-led Saudi Arabia and Shiite-dominated Iran.

According to Western security sources, Saudis intelligence is already involved in clandestine operations against the Tehran regime and its surrogates in Iraq, Lebanon and the unruly border regions of Iran itself in a bid to counter the Islamic republic's expansionist ambitions.

Riyadh's decision to launch military operations to support Saleh's poorly equipped and poorly led armed forces underlined how shaky Saleh's position has become as he grapples with an unprecedented array of threats.

The former general, who has been in power since 1978, is not only having to fight the dogged Zaidi tribesmen in the north, but faces an increasingly menacing secessionist movement in the largely socialist south and a resurgent al-Qaida in the north and east.

At the same time, Yemen's economy is steadily eroding as its modest oil reserves run out. Water shortages are sparking violence in rural areas, fueling unrest that is exploited by al-Qaida.

Yemen asserts that Iran is aiding the Houthi rebels. Sanaa claims it has seized caches of Iranian arms and arrested several Iranians aboard a boat carrying arms for the tribesmen.

Tehran denies any involvement. But the Saudi entry into the northern war may well provoke Tehran into coming to the aid of its co-religionists in Yemen in a more overt manner, or retaliating against the Saudis elsewhere, possibly in Lebanon.

That would likely ignite wider trouble in the region, including Somalia, across the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden from Yemen, where the Americans say al-Qaida is increasingly involved in fighting the Western-backed transitional government in Mogadishu.

The region has also been the scene of reported clashes between Israel and covert operations by Iranian Revolutionary Guards shipping weapons to the Palestinian fundamentalists of Hamas in the Gaza Strip via Sudan and Egypt.

Saleh launched what he billed as his final offensive against the Houthis Aug. 11. He dubbed it Operation Scorched Earth, and so far it has failed to crush the tribesmen.

But it has created a growing humanitarian problem, with at least 250,000 people displaced by the military operations.

The Saudis say they launched their operations after Houthi rebels crossed the porous mountain border into the kingdom and killed a Saudi officer in a firefight in the Jebel al-Dukhan region.

Whether that was the case remains open to question. But as Saleh's forces proved incapable of overwhelming the tribesmen -- and indeed driving other tribes into the rebels' arms with brutal counterinsurgency tactics -- it was only a matter of time before the Saudis got involved militarily or see Saleh's regime collapse.

Riyadh apparently decided that it could no longer risk the Yemeni insurrection spilling over among the Saudi Shiite tribes, which have an affinity with the rebellious Zaidis, who ruled Yemen for 1,000 years through an imamate the was toppled in 1962.

The rebels claim that the Saudis are mounting airstrikes against their villages as well as their strongholds, and using phosphorous bombs against them.

According to some reports, the Saudis sent a mechanized infantry force with tanks into Yemen on Nov. 5 while Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s and British-supplied Tornado fighter-bombers bombed rebel positions near the border with the kingdom's Jizan province.

Saudi ground forces were reported to have thrust up to 8 miles inside Yemen by the weekend.

The Saudi deputy defense minister, Khaled bin Sultan, claimed Sunday that Saudi forces had taken the strategic Jebel al-Dukhan mountain where rebels had overrun a Yemeni army base in October.

Much now depends on how far the Saudis are prepared to go to prop up Saleh's shaky regime.

Conflict and Repression in Yemen

This is another ongoing conflict without much world attention being devoted to it even though the government is carrying out a horrendous campaign against several different rebel groups. No doubt the US considers Yemen is doing its part to promote the war on terror but it would seem that the government does not worry about the war on terror so much as smashing any resistance to its own corrupt rule. Terrorists who support the government are allowed free reign. U.S. taxpayers seem to be quite blase about spending money on regimes such as this while there is no money to fund more health care back home..

Aid Won't Fix The Crisis in Yemen
Jane NovakJuly 26, 2009On July 17, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh celebrated the 31st anniversary of his ascension to power. The Sana'a regime, perverted by corruption, is largely unable to provide public services, including water, electricity, security, medical care and education. A third of Yemenis—7 million people—are malnourished. Police and military units act as enforcers for corrupt officials. The judiciary dispenses political retribution. Torture in Yemeni jails is systemic and brutal.On his anniversary, Saleh published an essay calling for dialog and tolerance. The same week, 18 protesters were killed by police, a journalist sentenced to jail and an opposition party prevented from holding its conference. A four-year rebellion in the north and a two-year uprising in the south threaten to engulf the nation in violence. Known al Qaeda operatives roam the capital freely, and teenage suicide bombers routinely target elderly tourists.Yemen's donors believe stabilizing President Saleh's regime will thwart the devolution of Yemen into a failed state and an al Qaeda safe haven. U.S. aid proposed for 2010 is at the highest levels in years. The Department of Defense allocated $66 million in military aid, mostly for patrol boats and armored pick-ups. Congress' Foreign Operation Appropriation bill includes an additional $15 million in military aid and $40 million in development and economic aid. Other humanitarian aid is channeled through USAID. However, increased funding to Yemen is a questionable strategy that may escalate instability.....Yemen already receives more aid than it can effectively absorb. Donors pledged $4.6 billion in 2006. Yemen declared "renewed commitment to urgent reforms." Years later, the state is still drawing up implementation plans for much of the funds. The lack of progress was a significant disappointment, yet predictable in an environment of rampant corruption. Billions in aid, oil revenue and other state funds are embezzled, stolen, diverted or misdirected, without consequence. Absent strict oversight, aid is subject to elite capture and often does not reach intended recipients.U.S. military aid intended for border security may wind up fueling atrocities. The Yemeni military bombed cities and villages heavily in the northern Sa'ada province while countering a rebellion that began in 2004. The Sa'ada War, dubbed "Yemen's Darfur," forced nearly 200,000 citizens to flee their homes. The government blocked food, aid and medicine to 700,000 Sa'ada residents in "an act that appears to constitute an illegal collective punishment," Human Rights Watch found. Officials explained the deliberate starvation was meant to pressure villagers to turn over rebel fighters.The small band of Zaidi rebels—triggered by political exclusion—grew to thousands. They claim they are acting in self-defense against a Wahabbi-inspired campaign of Shiite eradication. The Yemeni government insists the rebels seek to re-establish a theocratic monarchy.The latest ceasefire required the release of arbitrarily arrested Hashemite men and boys, but hundreds are still in jail. With the government's mediation committee headed by a major arms dealer, sporadic clashes indicate the war will likely resume and may spread beyond its previous boundaries to engulf the nation. The International Crisis Group recommends that to preserve the fragile peace, external parties "refrain from military assistance to the parties in conflict, including the Yemeni government."In South Yemen, massacres of protesters have become routine. The "southern mobility movement" began in 2007, calling for equal rights denied after 1990's unity of North and South Yemen. The government's response to the unrest was to shoot into the crowds and arrest thousands, sparking a cycle of civil unrest. Dozens of citizens were "deliberately killed or died as a result of excessive use of force by the security forces during peaceful protests," Amnesty International said. In June, there were 42 demonstrations, 17 injuries and five deaths. On July 23, a particularly bloody day, 18 protesters were killed during a demonstration in Zanzibar, Abyan. Protesters are now demanding southern independence and allege the unified Yemeni state is illegal under international law. With no end in sight, U.S. military aid—even trucks—may inadvertently facilitate the civilian slaughter.Saleh's regime is also engaged in a drastic campaign of media repression. Journalists have been banned from Sa'ada since 2004 and jailed for writing about the war. As unrest escalates in the south, so does the punishment of journalists who report the news. The non-governmental media is being forced into bankruptcy, court and prison. Bumping foreign aid in the midst of this massive media repression sends the wrong message from the U.S. to the Yemeni people.The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the "months-long assault on the media" where "physical assaults have been coupled with dozens of arrests of independent journalists, editors and bloggers." The government banned seven independent newspapers, including the long-established al-Ayyam, forcing hundreds of journalists out of work. Police disrupted demonstrations supporting al Ayyam with live fire. Dozens of Yemeni news websites are blocked. In Yemen, al Qaeda has greater Internet freedom than reformers.Perhaps the fundamental question for the donor community, especially the U.S., is how to best secure their citizens from the growing terror threat from Yemen. A more active and visible presence of al Qaeda heightens concerns about Yemen's potential implosion. Since 2007, nearly a dozen so-called al Qaeda attacks targeted tourists and foreign interests, including the U.S. Embassy. However, the ecosystems that nurture al Qaeda in Yemen and regionally are supported by Yemeni state resources, as are a variety of criminal enterprises. The idea that President Saleh put the fight against al Qaeda on the back burner because of civil unrest is misguided. Al Qaeda thrived in Yemen because it was nurtured, not neglected.The final president of South Yemen, Ali Salem al Beidh, said the Sana'a regime is creating regional crisis, "not only in our occupied South Yemen but also in Somalia, as well as in the weapon markets in Yemen and in the Al-Qaeda Organization cells in Saudi Arabia. It ranges from launching an air bridge to ensure the flow of jihadist terrorism to Iraq, to sending Yemeni official equipment, arms and ammunition to the Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, to controlling the outlets of weapon and drugs trafficking and money laundering."Yemen's counter-terror policies are farcical and include releasing convicted terrorists, pretending terrorists are in jail or dead, and other elaborate ploys to deceive Western nations. Saleh deployed jihadists during Yemen's 1994 civil war and in the recent Sa'ada War and appears ready to unleash these terrorists against protesters in the south. Local media reported numerous al Qaeda training camps within or facilitated by the Yemeni military. Scores of terrorists receive military salaries. Fears that without Saleh the resulting vacuum will allow terrorist entrenchment ignores the reality on the ground.There is nothing to suggest that the regime would sincerely battle al Qaeda if it rid itself of other distractions. A truce in 2003 between the Yemeni al Qaeda and the regime led to several years where terror activity was externally directed. Reports indicate that Saleh requested additional jihadists from Ayman al Zawahiri late in 2008. Within months, an influx of foreign jihadists began amassing in Sa'ada. The survival of the regime hinges on fundamentalist support.President Saleh uses jihadists and the takfist ideology against his political rivals. Moderates, intellectuals, reformers, Shiite rebels, secularists and southern socialists are all apostates according to Saleh. The Defense Ministry published a fatwa legitimizing jihad in defense of the state. Hardcore Salafi preachers issued a 2006 fatwa that opposition to Saleh was un-Islamic. The government supports the spread of extremist schools and risks creating a generation of fanatics. The weakening of Saleh's grip would necessarily bring about an enhanced political pluralism and balance of ideologies. Yemen historically is a pluralistic and tolerant society.The structural remedy to corruption, violence against civilians and extremist thinking is a free press. Good governance cannot exist without it. Dialog among citizens occurs in the media. If there is one lever for reform, it is the Yemeni press. It is imperative to tie necessary aid to the ability of journalists to perform their jobs without retribution. The Yemeni press heroically weathers the punishment for performing its watchdog role. But it is on the brink of extinction.One trigger of instability (or perhaps progress) in Yemen is the administration's visible failure to reform. As the elite are unmasked as epically corrupt, public discontent grows. If the U.S. wants to support Yemen's "nascent democracy," it must realize that popular will can leverage reform, as donor aid cannot. Any successful anti-corruption campaign results in the displacement of the corrupt elite, thus reform in Yemen is systematically undermined from within.For over a decade, Saleh's toxic dictatorship ravaged Yemen's human and natural resources, institutions and economy. Artificially prolonging the Sana'a regime is a strategy that failed already. Yemen, in all or in part, may transition from authoritarianism to responsible governance, and perhaps today is closer than ever. While the U.S. does not endorse or support a leadership change in Yemen, neither should it actively thwart the natural democratic progression of the state. Throwing out the tyrant is standard procedure in a revolution.Jane Novak is an American journalist and blogger well known in Yemen. The author of over 60 articles on Yemen's internal affairs, her website armiesofliberation.com has been banned in Yemen since 2006.