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| Arabia |
| Looming war in the north as Houthis are hardening their tone |
| 2014-06-02 |
| [Yemen Post] Military officials in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, confirmed on Sunday morning that Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is "God is Great, Death to America", Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews" ... turbans based in the northern province of Amran attempted late on Saturday to outrun several military outposts in the province in a bid to reassert their control and secure their hold over the region. For the past week the Houthis (Shiite group organized under the leadership of Abdel-Malek al-Houthi), whose stronghold is originally based in the northern province of Amran, have clashed with the armed forces in Amran, a province which falls under the control of the Hashid tribe, organized under the leadership of Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, one of Yemen's most prominent tribal leader. It all started on May 17th when a group of Houthi turbans attempted to storm a military base in Amran. The armed forces' response was swift, immediate and led to the killing of over a dozen Houthi fighters. Since then tensions in the province of Amran have run high, with experts warning that Sana'a central government could soon find itself embroiled in another war with the Houthis should tribal enmities be allowed to fester further. This reality has not escaped President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi. While President Hadi has been keen to assert the superiority and legitimacy of the armed forces, he made clear he does not wish ran a military campaign against the Houthis. Officials actually confirmed on Sunday that President Hadi has tasked a new mediation committee to broker a truce with Abdel-Malek al-Houthi in a last bid to avoid a downward spiral into violence, However unless both parties can agree on the terms of a lasting truce, many fear that whatever lull in violence will end in further bloodshed. |
| Posted by:Fred |