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| Arabia |
| Sana'a bloodbath |
| 2015-03-22 |
| [DAWN] FRIDAY'S carnage in Sana'a, in which jacket wallahs struck a number of mosques in the Yemeni capital, marks a dangerous new low for the impoverished, strife-torn state. Over 140 fatalities have been reported; the mosques targeted were frequented by supporters of the 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... movement, while the self-styled Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... has claimed credit for the atrocities. While Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ...the latest incarnation of various Qaeda and Qaeda-allied groups, including the now-defunct Aden-Abyan Islamic Army that boomed the USS Cole in 2000... has a strong presence in Yemen, this is possibly the first time the so-called caliphate has claimed an attack in the country. The bombings are significant for two reasons: firstly, they threaten to plunge Yemen into a communal quagmire. The Houthis are Zaidi Shias, and the online statement claiming the attacks was full of virulently sectarian invective. Given Yemen's delicate confessional balance -- Zaidis and Sunnis are found in roughly equal numbers in the country -- such acts of terrorism can widen sectarian divisions. Secondly, if IS were to gain a perch in Yemen and create a fledgling statelet, it could create a new security nightmare for the Gulf monarchies. While the IS presence in Yemen should not be overblown, especially considering the lack of major evidence linking local gunnies to the larger concern in Syria and Iraq, the ferocity of the attacks means the possibility of such linkages should not be taken lightly. IS is an expansionist concern, and when it cannot establish direct control it will look for affiliates. And as the recent terrorist attack in Tunisia, as well as the pledges of allegiance given to the 'caliphate' by gunnies in Nigeria, Egypt and elsewhere, show, there is no shortage of takers of the IS brand. Yemen's internal situation is precarious: the Houthis swept into Sana'a in September and in January forced the president to flee after surrounding the presidential palace. The Houthi-government stand-off may well be giving AQAP and IS the space to expand. That is why the Houthis must work with the elected government and resolve all differences at the negotiating table in order to confront a common threat. |
| Posted by:Fred |