In Yemen, a significant number of leaders in the security forces, military and business community have sympathies and ties to al-Qaeda, or the international jihaddist network if you prefer. The Yemeni regime at a minimum turns a blind eye to facilitation of terror activities (financing, travel, training, documents). Most suicide bombers in Iraq are from Yemen and North Africa, US officials reported. The case can be made that tools of the Yemeni state support terrorism.

Many dedicated hard core Islamics support the regime. The Salifi movement endorsed President Saleh in September's presidential election, issuing a fatwa that it is impermissible to vote against him. It is against Salifi precepts to oppose a Muslim ruler, ie- Saleh has not been labeled an apostate. Similarly, during the recent Sa'ada war which the state fought against Shia rebels, the Ministry of Defense issued a fatwa labeling the fight a prescribed jihad. Numerous Islamic extremist groups joined the war on behalf of the regime as did thousands of Salifi tribesmen. Islamists fighting for Saleh is nothing new. During the 1994 civil war in Yemen, the Islamists fought the Southern socialists forces based on a fatwa ruling that the Southerners were apostates for advocating a secular government.

Days prior to Yemen's September election, two terror attacks against oil facilities were thwarted. There have been no successful terror attacks in Yemen since the 2002 Limburgh tanker bombing. The thwarted attacks, which President Saleh and the state publicly tied to the opposition candidate (total hogwash I must say) certainly impacted the election. About six weeks later a previously unheard of group calling itself al-Qaeda in Yemen issued a statement claiming responsibility. Many disputed the authenticity of the statement, which could have been cooked up in Saleh's kitchen.

Now there is a new statement announcing a leader of the group, Abu Basir Nasir al-Wahishi, who is one of the 23 escapees who dug out of a maximum security prison with spoons in February 2006. Its widely suspected the escapees had some inside help at a high level. I do not automatically accept this new "al-Qaeda statement" or the prior one at face value. The announcement may be true. However, it may be a regime ploy to divert attention from some of its many failings or to elicit support and aid from Western governments. Top level a-Qaeda representatives have previously reported they were pleased with Saleh, the Political Security Organization and their methods of accommodating released al-Qaeda prisoners. I'd like to know if this is the same website that published the earlier statement. To follow are excerpts of the statement from the Italian News Agency, AKI

A man identifying himself as Abu Basir Nasir al-Wahishi - one of 28 (ed-23) terrorist suspects who in February 2006 fled a high security prison in Sanaa - has claimed in an audio message posted on Islamist internet forums that he is the leader of al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen. The man who also uses the battlename Abu Hureira al-Sanaani, said his group's full name is al-Qaeda of the Jihad in Yemen... "I have been nominated leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen and I say no to any surrender to government forces. Ignorance and Islam can never blend together. Several tyrants have tried to insert ignorance in Islam but they have all failed," the man said in the 20 minute-long recording.

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Don't Miss Jawa Co-Blogger and Yemen Expert Jane Novak's article on a possible peace deal in Yemen via The Arab American News:

The Sa'ada war in northern Yemen may be coming to a close. The Yemeni government announced on June 15 that a cease-fire had been negotiated through the good offices of the Emir of Qatar. Shi'a rebels agreed to lay down their arms after nearly three years of fighting. Hopes are high that an end to hostilities will allow immediate assistance to over a half a million Yemenis in Sa'ada province adversely affected by the fighting.

The rebellion began in 2004 led by cleric Hussain al-Houthi. According to government officials, the rebels aimed to re-institute the Shi'a theocracy overthrown by North Yemen's republican revolution in 1962. After Hussain was killed in 2004, leadership of the movement transferred to his brother, Abdelmalik al-Houthi. The rebels, known as the Houthis, say they oppose Yemen's alliance with the U.S. and regime corruption.

Yemeni officials repeatedly accused both Libya and Iran of funding the rebellion situated on the Yemeni-Saudi border. An informed source maintains that the Houthis received millions of dollars from an African country. Monetary transfers intended for the rebels began in the summer of 2006 and continued into 2007, the source claims. This and other reports of foreign meddling raised the specter of the bloody rebellion spiraling into a proxy war between regional heavyweights with hundreds of thousands of Yemeni civilians caught in the middle....

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"The Goat" that became a pharaoh, refers of course to Yemeni dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

This link, click here is an extensive listing of Yemeni President Saleh's direct family members who are at helm of military and security forces, and who at the same time, run major businesses. Even the Yemeni ambassadors to the US and UN are Saleh's relatives. Yemen is run by a mafia. And like other mafias, the ruling Yemeni mafia engages in criminal activities that include drug smuggling, gun running, child smuggling, massive fraud and corruption. Like other mafias, they shun publicity.

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the arrest of opposition journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani, in Sanaa yesterday reportedly in connection with alleged links to the Shiite rebellion in the north of the country.... He was also questioned about an article headlined “the goat that became a pharaoh”, which he planned to publish and which he had discussed with a colleague on the phone.

“We urge the Yemeni authorities to urgently release this journalist. No charges have been made against him and it is obvious that he is being put under pressure to stop him giving a voice to Shiite rebels,” the worldwide press freedom organisation said.

Al-Khaiwani’s lawyer, Khaled al-Anesi, told Reporters Without Borders that the prosecutor had refused all requests for bail even though the journalist had always presented himself whenever he had been summoned in the past.

“My client is a well-known figure, who has never sought to escape justice,” he said. “He has been arrested in unacceptable circumstances and has at no time been informed of the reasons for his arrest.”

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Prominent Yemeni reformist and editor Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani was arrested on Wednesday by Yemeni police. It is the latest in a campaign targeting him that has spanned years and included politicized arrest, "cloning" his newspaper, blocking his website, death threats and threats to kidnap his children. Once he was prohibited from leaving Yemen. He was arrested at the airport en route to a Red Cross conference.

Mr. Al-Khaiwani, pictured below left in 2006 with presidential candidate Faisel bin Shamlan, is a vocal critic of Yemen's authoritarian regime, accusing it of corruption and nepotism. His criticism of Yemeni dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, landed al-Khaiwani a one year jail term in 2004. He was convicted of insulting the president and pardoned after seven months in detention.

In latest developments of the case, AFP reports the democracy activist was badly beaten during arrest and is being held without charge.

IHT: SAN'A, Yemen: Journalists rallied in protest after police on Wednesday arrested a Yemeni opposition editor accused of backing the country's Shiite rebels, a police official and the attacked journalist's family said.

Dozens of journalists gathered in front of the general prosecutor office in the Yemeni capital, San'a, demanding the release of the Al-Shura weekly's editor Abdel Abdul Karim al-Khawinay, taken by police to jail earlier in the day.

The family of al-Khawinay said that security personnel stormed their home early Wednesday, beat up al-Khawinay with fists and gun-butts, then dragged him bleeding from the ear and nose to the police station.

"His face, pajamas were all stained with blood," said al-Khawinay's wife, who gave her name as Um Mohammed....

In December, Mr. al-Khaiwani wrote to the UN about the conditions of journalists in Yemen, the Yemen Times reported. “The State hunts us, abuses our rights and restrict our freedom of expressions,” he said in a letter co-authored with other leading journalists. “We were subjected to abduction, forcible disappearance and illegal and unconstitutional arrests. We are deprived of our livelihood sources because we criticize corruption and the military regime that has been grasping power for 28 years." The UN never wrote back.

In related news, a human rights worker, Moammar Ahmed Saleh Al-Abdali, was "arrested" by the Political Security Organization (PSO) on May 25th and has been held incommunicado since. The Civil Rights Organization, HOOD reports Mr. Al_Abdali's family is concerned for his welfare. Torture is common in Yemeni jail

In Taiz, News Yemen reports, "A teacher and headmaster were put in the prison of the Political Security in Taiz province over asking students to write compositions about corruption and price hikes on the Arabic language exam paper."

Yemeni journalists plan to hold another sit-in today in solidarity with Mr. Al-Khaiwani.

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Prominent editor Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani has been arrested under murky circumstances in Yemen. Sources report the journalist was dragged from his house in the middle of the night and beaten while being taken into custody. According to the opposition weekly, Al-Sahwa, al-Khaiwani's lawyer has not been informed of the charges:

The deputy of the Yemeni Journalist Syndicate Saeed Thabit said that policemen have raided Abdul-Karim al-khaiwani's home, arrested him and put him in prison. Thabit said that the Yemeni lawyer, Khalid al-Anisi is still seeking to know reasons behind his arrest. For their part, scores of journalist sat-in before the Penal Court, protesting al-Khaiwani arrest .

Al-Khaiwani has been a frequent regime target for his outspoken opinions on corruption, hereditary presidency, and the Sa'ada war. In a politically motivated judicial procedure, Al-Khaiwani was sentenced to a year in jail in 2004. The charges related to nine Op-Eds published by al-Shoura, where al-Khaiwani was the editor. The articles were written by a variety of authors. RSF called the verdict arbitrary censorship and IFEX and CPJ condemned the ruling. Al-Khaiwani spent seven months in jail before being pardoned in March 2005.

In May 2005, armed men stormed the offices of al-Shoura and, after evicting the staff, proceeded to (and continue to) publish the paper in a tactic known as "cloning." From CPJ :

Yemeni security services are also believed to be responsible for commandeering or "cloning" outspoken Yemeni newspapers—establishing similarly titled and similar-looking newspapers to undercut the originals and confuse readers. Before its closure last year, the office of the opposition weekly Al-Shoura was taken over by armed men believed to be allied with the government and a new management team set up. Despite appearances, the new title carried a much different, pro-government editorial line.

The al-Shoura website which contains authentic content edited by al-Khaiwani was blocked within Yemen prior to Yemen's presidential election in September. It was unblocked and then again blocked again at the onset of the Sa'ada war in January 2007.

Currently the Yemeni government finds itself threatened by *text messaging* and has required news outlets to discontinue the service as the Yemen Times reported:

Prime Minister Ali Mujawar met with representatives of the protestors yesterday and agreed to unblock the web sites, but banned all SMS services except Saba Mobile Services by the official Saba News Agency, Yemen’s only and official news agency. This means even international mobile news services, such as Al-Jazeera and Reuters, now are banned in Yemen.

Yesterday journalists in Yemen engaged in the sixth week of a regular sit-ins protesting the lack of private ownership of Yemeni media, the restriction on text messaging, the inability of some civil society activists to obtain new newspaper licenses. News Yemen interviewed some of the protesting journalists and activists:

The political activist Abdul-Malik al-Mikhlafi called for bringing down "the totalitarian mentality which controls everything".

"The totalitarian mentality rules us, not laws most of which need to be amended including the publication and press law," said al-Mikhlafi....

The lawyer Khalid al-Ansi affirmed that outing electronic media under siege is impossible. "The greatest countries and most developed in technology could not do so with electronic media," said al-Ansi. "We are with law, but we are at the same time against all forms of oppression and abolishing freedom of opinion...."

The lawyer Jamal al-Jaabi said that the monopolization of audio and video media has not any legislative base. "It is an attempt to keep Yemeni people unaware of the country's issues", said al-Jaabi.

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There is a peace agreement in theory ending the Sa'ada war in Yemen, After a month long negotiation through the offices of the Emir of Qatar, both the rebels and the regime have made announcements that a deal has been reached.

Details here and round-up here.

However multiple sources report that fighting rages on. The following is incorrect.

AFP
SANAA -- A cease-fire was holding in Yemen Sunday after Shiite rebels agreed to lay down their arms, ending years of fierce fighting that has killed thousands in one of the world's poorest countries....A senior official in the ruling General People's Congress said that government military operations against the rebels ceased by 1700 GMT Saturday, "and no violation has, so far, been registered."

Currently about 50,000 of the province's 690,000 residents are displaced by the fighting, mostly women and children. Many are lacking food, shelter and medical care. Rebel fighters remain entrenched in urban areas, using the civilian population as a shield. This is not an effective tactic as the Yemeni military has been extensively (and imprecisely) bombing its own cities since January. Updates and analysis to follow.

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No, I didn't come up with that. Its unadulterated Yemeni snark:

Modeled after the two well-known international organizations; ‘Reporters Without Borders’ and ‘Physicians Without Borders’, the Yemeni regime is now breaking into the global stage by declaring a third organization under the name of ‘Liars Without Borders’. ....

If one seeks the qualifications and facilities possessed by the Yemeni official organizations that help them gain international reputation, he/she is bound to see merely a lot of lies made up by unique techniques. No doubt that the Yemeni organization (LWB) is a source of shock and surprise having no limit in the world of liars who found nobody to raise their flag and take an initiative to constitute an international organization under their name.

To testify the availability of essential qualifications on the part of Yemeni authorities to declare Liars Without Borders, nobody needs to cite the lie of generating electricity from nuclear energy in a poor country, whose share of power is less than 500 megawatts and its citizens frequently live in the dark due to the repeated power blackout.

LWB, heh,
read the rest.

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A Communication from Southern Yemeni Military Officers in Aden: Negotiations failed.

For a full explanation of the issues surrounding the uprising in Southern Yemen, see my article here. In an effort to avert a crisis, the southern officers are calling for international mediation.

Its important to note that the leadership of Yemeni military currently is in the hands of a northern cabal, primarily President Saleh's close relatives, and military positions are often awarded by loyalist Sheiks as patronage to villagers. Thus the Yemeni military leadership is effective at plundering the state budget but not a very effective fighting force. The southern military officers on the other hand, gained their positions through merit.

The Yemeni southern opposition in exile, Tajaden, (which insists South Yemen is an occupied country) provides this context to the communique: "The case of the Southern retired officers has been escalated to a top level after a failure of a meeting, which was to be held yesterday 09th June between the Yemeni occupiers’ representative in Aden (Al-Kahlani) and the Coordination Council of the southern Retired Military and Security Officers’ Association...The association held last week a big strike in Aden at the Freedom Square on 4th June 2007 and dispatched a letter to both the representatives of the UN and EU in Yemen."

To follow is the letter the military officers dispatched from Aden:

Your Excellency the representative of the United Nations- Sana’a
Your Excellency the representative of the European Union- Sana’a

Greeting

We the officers of the military and the security of what was known as a government of the People’s Republic Democratic of Yemen would like at the beginning to extend our sincere greetings and best wishes to you and to brief you about our cause as we have been exposed to exclusion and discrimination since the war of the summer of 19994.

Most of us have been moved to a compulsory retirement before reaching the retirement’s age that is stipulated in the Yemeni valid laws, the others were enforced to leave their jobs and stay at home without any legal procedures or reasonable justifications, whereas our colleagues from what was known as a Yemen Arab Republic have not received the same treatment, which make it clear to us that Sana’a’s government has only aimed at those from the south.

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According to the Yemeni opposition weekly, Al-Sahwa,

June 07, 2006- The security apparatus in Haja province has arrested over 60 children were illegally trafficked to Saudi in the last two weeks. Security sources said to Alsahwa.net that the children arrested were 6- 18 old years and that they are held in the juvenile center In Hardh district.

Child trafficking between Yemen and Saudi Arabia is a substantial and pitiful problem. Many destitute parents agree to allow their children to "work" in Saudi Arabia in the hopes that remittances may keep their other children alive. The smuggled children are often forced to beg, smuggle drugs or wind up working in near slavery conditions. Many are sexually abused and/or beaten. According to a highly reputable public figure, “some officials and members in the Parliament are involved in a mafia practicing child trafficking.” The figures are staggering according to a piece in the Yemen Times:

Children are trafficked by gangs through the land border from Yemen to Saudi Arabia to be exploited for begging and stealing. In a press probe published by Ukadh newspaper a few days ago, the stats and scores contained in the probe confirmed that around 50 thousand Yemeni children have been smuggled into Saudi Arabia over the past few years.

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A TJR Exclusive

Demonstrations and armed conflict in Southern Yemen are heightening fears of growing instability in the impoverished nation, already battling a Shiite insurgency in the North.

On May 22, as Yemen marked the 17th anniversary of the unification of the Arab Republic (YAR, North Yemen) and the People’s Democratic Republic (PDRY, South Yemen), demonstrators throughout the South protested against the government. A large rally held in Mukalla (Hadhramout governorate) drew participants from neighboring cities. Protesters marched in Lahj, Aden and Abyan raising black flags. Marches and demonstrations are continuing.

Under the leadership of a former Southern military commander, Sa’eed Al-Shahtor, hundreds of armed former southern military personnel are blockading a main through fare between Shabwa and Abyan governorates. Security forces have been unable to regain control of the area and fighting for control of the road has been ongoing.

On June 3 thousands of demonstrators in al-Dhalie, "denounced the repeated violations and abuse practiced against citizens in the province," the opposition weekly al-Sahwa reported. Yemen's security forces opened fire over the heads of the marchers in an failed effort to disburse the crowd. On June 4th retired southern soldiers held a peaceful demonstration in Aden.

Yemen has experienced marked instability since September’s 2006 presidential election, In the northern Sa'ada province, about 60,000 soldiers have been embroiled in a raging war with about 1000 Zaidi Shiite rebels since January. Tens of thousands of civilians have fled the fighting, and many are without shelter, food, water, and medical care. In the South, tensions that have been brewing for years have begun to flare.

The 1990 unification of Yemen brought together 2 million southerners with 12 million northerners in what was supposed to be a democratic power sharing arrangement. However, since Yemen's 1994 civil war, the country is ruled by a cabal of northern military and tribal elite that deploys the terminology of "democracy" while excluding authentic participation and precluding economic and political reform. With corruption rampant, the regime has been dubbed "a kleptocracy." more...

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With a great deal of fanfare, two months ago, Yemen announced a weapons buy-back program (to be financed by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States.) The regime subsequently took possession of weapons worth over ten billion riyals (USD 5 million) according to the Interior Ministry. Last week, the ministry gave a tour to journalists of two weapons storage facilities. One facility housed the mortars, anti-personal and anti-vehicles land mines, hand grenades and other types of explosives that had been purchased from the Yemeni public and dealers. The other facility contained Ground-Ground and Ground-Air missiles and rockets, as well as large long range machine guns. Yesterday, a rock fell on one of the facilities and it blew up. Seriously, that's what they said.

Reuters: "The explosions at a camp east of the capital Sanaa resulted from rocks falling on old ammunition in a storage facility at the camp located on a slope," the site, www.26sep.net, quoted a defence official as saying. "It was caused by rain."

Earlier this week, officials took reporters to the depot to display bombs, artillery, anti-aircraft guns and other weapons bought or seized from civilians as part of a crackdown in the Arab country where arms are openly carried.

It is thought that the robust weapons smuggling trade in Yemen is accomplished by "influential persons" including high ranking military officials. So one of the president's relatives or associates in theory could bring the weapons in, sell them, buy them back with donated funds, and then sell them again locally or internationally. That's a pretty good return on investment, considering they likely use public money to buy them in the first place.

In the end, everybody gets a cut, except the Yemenis themselves, many of whom are destitute (42% live on under $2.00 a day), sick (one doctor for every 11,00 people), starving (half of Yemeni kids are stunted from malnutrition), illiterate (about 70% of women) and/or without electricity and clean water (65% in rural areas).

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Yemen Times: Aleshteraki.net reported that an Arab satellite channel is investigating allegations that its Sana’a correspondent is receiving money from the Yemeni government in return for presenting the government’s view on the Sa’ada war.

It added, “Information leaked by the Yemeni Armed Forces indicates that Yemeni correspondents for some Arab channels have received money in return for not speaking about the war in Sa’ada or for reflecting the state’s viewpoint.”

The source maintained that three Yemeni correspondents, including one for a Gulf channel, have received YR 50,000 daily from several military units’ financial departments since the war erupted in January.

Yemeni and Arab viewers of satellite channels and media outlets find it strange that the fourth Sa’ada war hasn’t received its due coverage; however, journalists allege that Yemeni authorities have prevented them from making field coverage of the war there.

However when patronage doesn't work, and it doesn't with a few couragous Yemeni journalists, the Yemeni regime resorts to brutality, censorship and/or judicial penalities for bogus charges.

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ABC News reports that Jaber Elbaneh is under house arrest in Yemen. Yemen reports US officials will be allowed to view his trial but not extradite him although he is a US citizen. Yemen has what was recently dubbed a "catch and release program", but we knew that.

One of the FBI's most wanted terrorists has been placed under "house arrest" in Yemen, according to U.S. counterterrorism and federal law enforcement officials.

Jaber Elbaneh, an alleged al Qaeda operative with ties to the Buffalo, N.Y., "Lackawanna six" terrorism case, reportedly surrendered to Yemeni security services last week. Elbaneh has been charged in the United States with providing material support to al Qaeda and is currently on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist list.

But officials say it's unclear when  or even if  they will ever get to question Elbaneh.

A spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy released a statement to ABC News, noting that because Elbaneh is a Yemeni citizen, the constitution of that country prohibits his extradition to face a trial abroad....Spokesman Mohammed Albahsa concluded his statement by saying, "Elbaneh is in our custody and make no mistake justice will prevail. He faces multiple convictions for committing terrorist and criminal violent activities and he will be trialed accordingly. U.S. authorities will have access to his trial so will the media."

It reminds me of Abu-bakr al-Reibi who lived at home, according to his father, after being sentenced to a ten year prison term on terrorism charges, . more...

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A powerful editorial detailing the fear society that exists under Yemen's totalitarian regime and the mounting fustration of everyday citizens:

Republic of Yemen is not a free country. It is ruled by a cruel system that controls our every day life. Our phones are tapped. Our talk is recorded. Every move is monitored, and every action is registered.

One would think that with such severe security measures, peace and stability would prevail. One would think that order and rule of law would dominate and the judiciary system is above all. Unfortunately this is not true, not even remotely.

Not only are we ruled by the fierce fist of security, we also have no legal rights or justice. Civilians are kidnapped and killed everyday. press is paranoid with self-censorship to the extent that the majority of Yemeni media have become “more royal than the king”, and last but not least, we are living in a state of fear.

Yemenis fear for their lives because of the spread of arms and the absence of law. Yemenis fear for their living because of the deteriorating living standards and soaring prices of basic commodities. They fear for their health because of the enormous risk of catching diseases and the pathetic health care services. They fear for their intelligence because of the ridiculous education and spread of ignorance, not to mention being stoned half the time with Qat.

But most of all, Yemenis fear for their freedom because they are driven into the verge of insanity, always looking behind their shoulder....

Read the rest.

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On May 13, the Yemeni newspaper Ray News reported that fugitive terrorist Jaber Elbaneh (Jabr Al-Banna) surrendered to Yemeni authorities. That's the good news; the bad news is that its almost two weeks later and the FBI hasn't been able to confirm he's in custody.

Elbaneh is among the FBI's most wanted terrorists. He was charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization and conspiring to provide material support to Al-Qaeda in a 2003 federal criminal complaint unsealed in Buffalo, New York. Elbaneh reportedly trained at the al-Farook training camp in Afghanistan along with six other Yemeni men from Lackawanna, New York. The six pleaded guilty on terror related charges in 2003, and received sentences ranging from seven to ten years.

Elbaneh never returned to the US and in 2002, was reported to be in Yemen along with another American from Lackawanna Kamal Derwish. An Al-Qaeda operative, Derwish at the time was the only American known to have attained a position of authority in al-Qaeda. Derwish was killed by a CIA-fired Hellfire missile in Yemen in November 2002 along with Yemeni al-Qaeda chief and Cole bombing suspect, Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi, .

In 2006, Jaber Elbaneh's uncle Mohammed, also from Lackawanna, was convicted of illegally transmitting millions of dollars to Yemen. In a plea deal, Mohamed Albanna was sentenced to five years imprisonment and three years supervised release. Another of Jaber's uncles, Mohammed's brother, Ali A. Albanna received a sentence of 56 months imprisonment and two years supervised release.

At the time, US Attorney Terrance P. Flynn noted that Ali A. Albanna admitted in his plea agreement that in March of 2002, he handled a money transfer from Yahya Goba (one of the Lackawanna six) in New York to Kamal Derwish in Yemen. ( Goba recently testified in the trial of Jose Padilla, describing for the prosecution the al-Farook al-Qaeda training camp that the US charges Padilla attended.)

Jaber Elbaneh was reported in custody of the Yemeni authorities in 2004. Yemen never officially responded to US requests to hand Elbaneh, an American citizen, to US custody.

In 2006, Elbaneh escaped from a maximum security prison in Yemen's capital along with 22 other high level al-Qaeda operatives. Eight who turned themselves after negotiations in were later released. The US offered forensic assistance to the Yemeni government after four of the escapees were killed in a "thwarted terror attack" and their remains "strewn all over the place" according to an official statement by the Interior Ministry. The offer was not accepted US officials reported at the time. One of the escapees, Yaser Al-Humaikani, was killed in Abian in January 2007 after a random identity check sparked a shoot-out.

Considering Elbaneh is an American citizen, its surprising the Yemeni regime hasn't let someone go take his fingerprints. Meanwhile hope springs eternal: "We certainly do hope he is caught," FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said Monday.

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Within the last week, six young men left from Aden governorate, Maalla district, Yemen, in transit to Iraq as suicide bombers, a reliable source indicated to the Jawa Report.

Over the last two years, many youth in Aden have traveled to Iraq to participate in suicide bombings targeting American and Iraqi forces and civilian targets. A Yemeni newspaper recently counted 1283 jihaddists who made the trek to Iraq, mostly in 2006. Some estimates are as high as 2000. All the men were young, many were teen-agers and most were unemployed.

The six were subject to "intense mental pressure", the source reported. They had been brainwashed for an extended period of time. Most Yemeni fighters go to Syria as the first stop en route to Iraq. Multiple sources report that "influential persons" in Yemen provide the training, money and passports for the suicide bombers. US officials have estimated that 90% of suicide bombers in Iraq are foreigners, and the vast majority of those are from Yemen and North Africa.

The Yemeni regime has taken several measures to stem the flow of combatants to Iraq. One measure transferred control of airports from the Political Security Organization to the National Security Organization. Another prohibited men under 35 years of age from traveling to Syria or Jordan without special permission. However these adjustments had little impact on the number of Yemeni terrorists exiting the country. Many of Yemen's counter terror strategies are more spin than substance.

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Yemen today acquitted the last of eight foreigners who were accused of smuggling weapons to the ICU. The other seven foreigners were already released without charges, although Yemen's official media reported that seven confessed in November. Two Australians who were released are the sons of Jemaah Islamiah leader, Abdul Rahim Ayub. Early reports in October indicated the arrests blew an otherwise productive counter-terrorism surveillance operation by the Brits, although other reports dispute this.

Yahoo

SANAA (AFP) - A Yemeni court on Monday acquitted a Dane of Somali origin, Abdi Osman Soni, of attempting to traffic arms to the Islamist militia which controlled central and southern Somalia until December.
But his Yemeni co-defendant on the trafficking charge, Abdullah Awadh Abdullah al-Masri, was sentenced to three years in prison. The court did not state why Soni was acquitted but the prosecution said it would appeal the decision.

Both men were arrested on October 16. They are among eight people suspected of trying to traffic arms to the Union of Islamic Courts militia which controlled Mogadishu for six months up to its eviction by Ethiopian-backed transitional government forces late last year.

Ok now lets wait for the troll....

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The Yemeni government has been systematically inciting hostility against Shiite (Zaidi) rebels through the official media, mosque preachers and a fatwa that Yemen's Defense Ministry publicized. The conflict in Sa'ada has been termed a jihad by the government but not by the rebels. A nearby mosque was firebombed, the doors locked, and about 30 people were injured. The government hasn't commented on the denomination of the worshipers who were burned in the mosque. Early indications are they were Shiites. If the government was able to blame the bombing on the rebels, they would have done it already. Most likely the culprits will be described as deranged loners on an individual jihad. However, by introducing and promoting hostile sectarian vocabulary against, not only the rebels, but also the Shiite segment of society, the Yemeni government bears some culpability.

An analysis of the Zaidi Shiite rebels tactics from April 2005 through April 2006 and
October 2006 through current demonstrates that the rebels have never targeted civilians.

NTV: Attackers locked the doors of the al-Ameriyah Mosque, poured fuel over the worshippers and set fire to the building, the Yemeni state news agency Saba reported on Friday. The mosque is located in Amran, 65 km north of the capital, San'a.

It was not immediately clear if the attack was related to the ongoing conflict between the Sunni-dominated government and Shiite rebels in Saada, a remote province 180 km north of the capital.

Update: Yes indeed, lone crazed culprit.

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What a bustard hadnicapped fairy is this elderly ass called Novac. What a handicapped writer!! I am a Shiite and things are not going as this Novac-shit is claiming. Trying to interpret everthin in her own modus operandi.

Fortunately, Ms. Shit am not honoring you with reading your writings intentionally since they r not worth reading and this is my 1st and last to read or comment on your handicap-indicator words.

We Sunnis and Shiites r living peacefully in a democratic country. Intermarriage, love and in my life time I've never noticed a Sunni considering my denomination in his behaviour toward me. Saada Houthis real rebels. And Saleh is a man of amnesty. Whole world knows this.

Fuck the mother that excreted Novac into existence!!!!!! Fuck her!! Don't incite hatred and split between us!!! Yemen fought Sunni and Shiit extremists...given amnesty to both!! and freed both!!! and fought those who fought again from all denominations!! Saleh himself is Shiit and senior military commanders and decision-makers are Shiites!!!

Novac, your fucken dumbness qualifies you to Guiness Record.

Stop "defending" us. We don't need you to defend us. Sunnis are our soulmates. Fuck you Fuck you Fuck you Fuck you Fuck the mother that excreted you into existence. I'll repeat this motto whenever I unintentionally catch your shit while google-searching Yemen.

 

 

 

Posted by: Ismaeel at April 08, 2007 01:37 PM (phC36)

2 Dumb Novac. R u fooling everyone who happens to read your lies here??
 
Bustard, do you think that humans other than u are infinitly stupid so that they can't think for 2 seconds and conclude: "since Novac is writing for several years and on a 24/7 basis about Yemen affairs, then she must be making living on this!" Even   half a second  old baby will think of this.
 
Funcken crippled Novac! One sentence for you:
 
"You have no alike amongst organisms. Novac, its OK if you have no other thing to live on other than this. But plz give more time for sex. What is life if u don't have enough of that delicious thing??? at home, America. email me and let's date. " Have hardcore as much as u can, and your life will be more meaningful!!!
Hhhhhhhhh
Am from a Sunni mother, Shiite father.
 

Posted by: Salah Saadi at April 08, 2007 01:49 PM (phC36)

3 Burning Shia's ??? Michelle Malkin should be immediately dispatched to see if elusive Jamail is making up this story like he did the 6 burning Sunnis.

Posted by: John Ryan at April 08, 2007 02:03 PM (TcoRJ)

4 I see a couple of Jane's fans have arrived.  They seem pissed off? Oh well at Jawa that's how we tell if the post is good, the more pissed off people the better.

And since Jane posts here, you will be seeing alot more of her on Google, So, Salah and Asmaeel, GFYS, and have a nice day.

Posted by: Darth Odie at April 08, 2007 04:33 PM (YHZAl)

5 Oh, how nice. The Islamotard has showed up. What agency of the Yemeni government did he crawl out of, I wonder?

It's the same person that made the two comments trying to be two different people.

Sorry chump, you're the stupid one.

Posted by: Vinnie at April 08, 2007 05:01 PM (BH1E/)

6 Awwww! Jane has a new admirer!
Just keep pushing those buttons, Jane. You've already got him babbling incoherently, and a couple more of these posts should send him completely over the edge.

^{"Am from a Sunni mother, Shiite father."}

So basically what he's saying is... he's fucked up in multiple ways.
Like he needed to tell us..lol

Posted by: Kafir at April 08, 2007 05:43 PM (HsmTD)

7 A couple questions. Which one of these twisted sects makes the broads wear the bee-keeper suits? I have a few close friends like Cindy S, Jane F, Nancy P, and Hillary C that would look super hot in one of those. Does Wal-Mart sell them?

Posted by: Rome at April 08, 2007 09:43 PM (/GrlO)

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Yemeni President Saleh is donating one billion riyals to orphans institutions. How generous. Where did he get the money?

Among others, Saleh will support 500 children of Palestinian "martyrs." (Didn't Saddam also support the families of suicide bombers?)

President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced Thursday his support for 500 Palestinian orphans from Al-Saleh Establishment from among the sons of the martyrs of Palestine and granted 100job titles to charitable establishments all over Yemen in addition to his donation with YR half billion for Al-Saleh Establishment.

Oh my, the link above to the website of Yemen's ruling party, the GPC, is down, so here's the same story on the website of Yemen's Defense Ministry.

Posted by: JaneNovak at 10:22 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Yes folks, Yemen is planting landmines, in Yemen. This is in addition to deploying Salafi Jihaddists (terrorists), Salafi tribesmen, Katushka rockets, arial bombardment and tens of thousands of troops against a band of Shiite rebels holed up in the mountains.

An entire city has been destroyed, including a historically significant Shiite mosque. (The rebels are Shiites.) The media is prohibited, and the phones are cut off. Electrcity is cut. No oil, food and medical shipments have been allowed in and farmers produce is confescated at checkpoints. Those civilians with means or relatives outside the area have fled. The poorer people have no where to go to avoid the fighting and bombing. Some have gone to the mountains. Others went to Red Cross camps. The regime bombed three camps, by accident. Now the Yemeni Government is mining civilian areas in Yemen. The action demonstrates quite clearly how little regard the Yemeni regime has for its own people. SJTL

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My article at the Arab American News.

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About 90% of suicide bombers in Iraq are foreigners with the vast majority from Yemen and North Africa. 90% of these foreign fighters go to Iraq via Syria. The State Department is warning...Syria.

If Syria does close the borders, where are the Yemeni suicide bombers going to go? They won't dissappear into thin air. It might be a good idea to start focusing on the souce of the suicide bombers, those "influential persons" in Yemen who facilitate their indocrination, training, documents, financing and transport, and later praise their deaths and the death of US troops.

Also there were more chlorine attacks by "foreign fighters." In 2005, the Yemeni military used chlorine gas as a weapon against Shiite rebels; in 2007, Yemeni jihaddists use chlorine gas in attacks in Iraq against US troops. Predictable. What are all the Salafi jihaddis currently networking in Sa'ada going to do after the Shiite Houthi rebellion is over, attack the Socialists? I don't think so.

World Tribune:

WASHINGTON — A U.S. State Dept. official said about 90 percent of the suicide attackers in Iraq came from Syria.

"It has to stop," said David Satterfield, the chief State Department adviser on Iraq.
Officials said that despite numerous appeals, Syria has failed to stop the flow of Sunni suicide bombers to Iraq. They said the lion's share of suicide bombers were foreign Arab nationals who entered Syria and made their way to Iraq.

"They [suicide bombers] see Syria as a more accommodating country through which to transit across the border to come into Iraq to perpetrate their terror," Satterfield.

Satterfield said the U.S. intelligence community has assessed that between 85 and 90 percent of suicide bombers in Iraq entered from Syria. In an address to the Washington Institute on March 27, Satterfield said 90 percent of suicide bombers in Iraq were foreigners.

Officials said North Africans and Yemenis comprised the largest element among the foreign suicide bombers....

In Iraq, foreign suicide bombers coming from Syria have increasingly used chlorine in their attacks. On Wednesday, at least 15 Iraqi and U.S. soldiers were injured when suicide bombers detonated explosives on trucks that contained chlorine in the Anbar province.

HT: Jihad Watch

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Mar 29 ,2007 - A senior Yemeni official affirmed to Alayam Paper Thursday that the drone shot down In Hadromout province was an American unmanned plane.

He said that fishermen in Hadrmout reported to a close military unit that they found the drone, and then the unit moved to the site.

On the other hand, the Defence Ministry declined to comment on the incident or affirm the nationality of the drone, whether an American, a French or an Iranian.

Yesterday it was an Iranian drone.

Almotamar.net - SANAA, March 28 - Yemeni Defence Ministry announced today bringing down a foreign drone flying over the south of coasts of Hadramout governorate, east of Yemen. and local media reported that the aircraft was Iranian. The Defence Ministry website quoted an official military source his confirmation that anti-aircraft forces of Yemen were able to shoot down the drone Tuesday after watching it entering the Yemeni airspace....Raynews website reported on Tuesday that the drone plane that was downed over the area of Hadrampout governorate belongs to the Islamic Republic of Iran but the official source did not disclose its identity.

Tomorrow it might become a Libyan drone. (Yemen has been accusing both Iran and Libya of supporting a band of rebels. But then they distance themselves from the statements within days.)

Update: Its back to being an Iranian drone, "Officials said the Iranian UAV flew over the Arabian Sea and conducted reconnaissance missions deep in southeastern Yemen. "

Yemeni President Saleh *is* the King of Spin.

Posted by: JaneNovak at 06:28 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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For over a thousand years, Saada, Yemen has been the historical home of Shia Zaidism, which is entirely distinct from 12er Shiism found in Iran and Iraq. The world famous Salafi Islamic Institute, Dar al-Hadith, is located in Saada, Yemen and attracts students from around the globe. It was established in 1980 by Sheik Abdal Rahman Mukbil (Hadi al-Wadi'i). Zaidism and Salafism are diametrically opposed as Zaidism is encourages re-interpretation, critical thinking, and opposing an unjust Muslim ruler. Salafi tenants hold that a Muslim ruler should not be opposed.

As early as the 1980's, the founder of the Zaidi group, the Believing Youth, Hussain al-Houthi was writing tracts disputing some of the premises of Salafism (like Shia are heretics). The Believing Youth began as a study group and was encouraged by the regime as an offset to the growing influence of Salafism in Yemen. The tide shifted around the onset of the Iraq War when the group began to oppose the regime's alliance with the US, staging protests after Friday prayers. Reportedly, the regime encouraged the Believing Youth to go to fight in Iraq against American soldiers, which they refused.

Armed conflict between the government and the Believing Youth began in 2004 after the government launched a series of harassments and arrests. Fighting renewed in 2005. An amnesty granted to the rebels in 2006 was never fully implemented by the regime. The current tactics employed by the Yemeni regime mirror those used in 2005: a complete blockade on the region, withholding food and medical supplies, arbitrary arrests, shelling civilian areas with mortars and rockets, aerial bombardment, the military deployment of tribesmen and jihaddists, the arrest of Shiite preachers, the forced imposition of Salafi preachers at Shiite mosques. Many Zaidi teachers have also been arbitrarily arrested.

Currently about 30,000 Zaidi civilians have been forced out of their homes, often after receiving regime warnings of impending bombardment. However the Yemeni regime has made no provision for their basic needs, and many are living in the mountains. The regime prohibited the shipments of food, and has confiscated produce. No food or medicine has entered Saada for over two months. The government has cut all communications and prohibited journalists from traveling to Saada.

The City of Dhahian has been destroyed from bombardment, and dead bodies lie in the streets. Air raids on Dhahian destroyed a mosque, homes and a gas station. The city of 25,000 is largely evacuated.

Since onset of the war on January 17, according to Al-Ayyam there were 416 soldiers killed and over 500 wounded; 12 tanks destroyed. 136 Houthis rebels were killed. In the last week, approximately 150 more from each side killed. Government sources place figure of Houthis killed at 300, with another 200 captured.

Not only are about 3000 Salafi tribesmen, child soldiers, and tried and true Sunni Jihaddists engaging in military battles in support of the Yemeni government and against the Shiite Believing Youth rebels, apparently the foreign students from the Salafi Dammaj Insititute have also taken up arms which were provided by the Yemeni government.

As usual, there are at least two versions of the story.

The first version is from the government's ruling party website: a French student walking down the street gets killed by rebels: almotamar.net - "Sources said the killing incident took place when students were walking in a street when some terrorist elements attacked them."

The second version of the story comes from al-Estraki.net, the opposition Socialist Party's website, which says three foreign students at Dammaj were killed. The school had been provided arms by the government, and the enthusiastic students established a checkpoint. In a shootout at the checkpoint with Houthi fighters, three Dammaaj students were killled: one Frenchman, one American, and one unidentified foreigner. more...

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Here's a report about the Horn of Africa and the Middle East in which it's difficult to figure out who the good guys are. The UN estimates that 30,000 refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia and other places have been smuggled into Yemen since January 2006.

The UN refugee agency announced Friday that over the past six days, Yemen has again received more than 1,100 Somalis and Ethiopians who arrived on smuggling boats from Bosaso, Somalia, across the Gulf of Aden.

The refugee agency added that according to information received so far at least 28 people died during these recent voyages -- from asphyxiation, beating or drowning -- and many were badly injured by the smugglers.

Others are suffering from various skin problems from prolonged contact with sea water, human waste, diesel and other chemicals. They are not allowed to move during the voyage.

When spotted by the Yemeni armed forces the smugglers on one boat in an attempt to distract the forces threw 35 Somalis into the water and took the remaining 215 passengers, many with their hands bound by ropes, closer to the shore where they were forced to disembark.

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