Yemeni Al-qaeda Crackdown Information
The Yemeni al-Qaeda crackdown began in 2001 and escalated on January 14, 2010 when Yemen declared open war[9][10] on al Qaeda. In addition to fighting against al Qaeda in several provinces, Yemen is also battling a northern Shi'ite insurgency and trying to contain separatists in the south.
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Background
Main article: Terrorism in YemenYemen has come under pressure to act against al Qaeda since attacks on its two main allies, Saudi Arabia and the United States, by militants coming from Yemeni soil. Previous attacks linked to al Qaeda in Yemen include the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, the 2008 American Embassy attack, and several attacks against foreign tourists.
Yemen had already intensified operations against al Qaeda in late 2009 when a Yemen-based wing of the group claimed to be behind the failed December 25, 2009 attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner, itself a retaliation against an attack against a training camp in Abyan on 17 December, killing many civilians[7]. News reports have indicated substantial American involvement in Yemeni operations against al Qaeda since late 2009, including training, intelligence sharing, "several dozen troops" from the Joint Special Operations Command, and direct involvement.[3][11]
Timeline
- December 17: Yemeni ground and air forces carried out raids in Sana'a (arresting 13), Arhab (killing 4 and arresting 4), and attacked an alleged training camp in Al-Maajala, Abyan, killing 24–50[7][12], including 14 women and 21 children. According to Amnesty International, evidence points at U.S. involvement in this attack, but this is denied by the U.S.[11].
- December 24: Yemen launched an air strike against an alleged al Qaeda meeting in Shabwa, killing some 30 individuals. One target of the strike was Anwar al-Awlaki.[13]
- January 4: Yemeni security forces killed two alleged militants a day earlier north of the capital.[14]
- January 6: Yemeni forces arrested three suspected al-Qaeda militants who were wounded in a raid, that was carried out by security forces.[15]
- January 13: The alleged leader of an al-Qaeda cell in Yemen, Abdullah Mehdar, was killed in an exchange of gunfire with security forces.[16]
- January 14: A Yemen army air strike has killed at least six suspected al-Qaeda fighters in the north of the country, a Yemeni security official said.[10]
- January 15: Yemeni security forces scoured rugged mountains for a second day using helicopters to hunt for some 25 suspected al Qaeda militants who fled raids the previous day in the southeastern province of Shabwa, security sources said.[17]
- January 17: A radical Islamist Somali group claimed it was exchanging some of its fighters with those in Yemen. Yemeni militants are reportedly also sending fighters in return. This exchange in fighters shows the close links it has with the country of Yemen, an al-Shabab spokesman said.[18]
- January 20: The Yemeni air force bombed the home of a suspected al-Qaeda leader, Ayed al-Shabwani, who the military had claimed was dead a week before this bombing. The attack on his home was reportedly met with anti-aircraft fire from his village. No figure on casualties has been released, for this latest attack.[19]
- January 21: In order to "halt terrorist infiltration", Yemen decided to only issue visas through embassies, ceasing the practice of issuing visas to foreigners when they land at Yemeni airports.[20]
- February 8: Al-Qaeda leader Said Ali al-Shihri released an online audio message calling for jihad in the Arabian Peninsula.[21]
- March 16: Two Al-Qaeda militants who were killed in Yemen due to air raids carried out by the Yemen air force have been identified, government officials have said. A third suspected senior militant had also reportedly been killed in these raids. These bombing raids were carried out in the southern province of Abyan. It has been reported that these militants were connected to the failed bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner last year. However it is not clear how many other people were killed in these air strikes.[22]
- August 25: Gunmen on motorcycles attacked a military patrol in Yemen's restive south on Wednesday, killing four soldiers and wounding one, a security official said. The official said an early investigation indicated the attackers were members of al-Qaida, which lately appears to have stepped up high-profile attacks in the south of this impoverished country. He did not provide details.
The attack occurred in the Abyan provincial capital of Zinjibar and brought to 53 the number of soldiers killed by al-Qaida since May, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.[23]
Battle of Lawdar
| Battle of Lawdar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Yemen | Al-Hirak Al-Janoubi[24] | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | South Yemeni Separatists : 200
Al-Qaeda : 200 |
||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 11-13 KIA +2 WIA[25] | 19 killed | ||||||||
| 3 civilians killed, 33-35 people killed in total[26] | |||||||||
Between 19 and 25 August 2010 the Yemeni army launched a major offensive in the city of Lawdar controlled by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Several activists including local leaders of Al Qaeda were killed during the clashes. On August 25 Yemeni authorities claimed to regain control of the southern town of Loder, a great part of which was in the grip of suspected Al-Qaeda militants during days of clashes with the army.[27]
Timeline
- Thursday 19: 2 soldiers were killed and two others wounded.
- Friday 20: 11 soldiers killed, two civilians killed and 4 injured.
- Sunday 22: 7 members of al-qaida killed.
- Monday, August 23: a local leader of al-qaida killed.
- Wednesday, August 25: Yemen regains control of the town.
Battle of Huta
| Battle of Huta | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Yemen | al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 300 | |||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| ~4 killed, 9 wounded | 5 killed, 5 wounded, 32 captured[29] | ||||||||
| 15,000 Yemeni civilians flee, at last 3 wounded | |||||||||
On September 20: They begin segie of the town.[30] Also US President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan visited Yemen Monday and discussed cooperation in the fight against Al-Qaeda, the White House said.Brennan met President Ali Abdullah Saleh and delivered a letter from Obama expressing US support for a "unified, stable, democratic and prosperous Yemen," National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement."President Saleh and Mr Brennan discussed cooperation against the continuing threat of Al-Qaeda, and Mr Brennan conveyed the United States' condolences to the Yemeni people for the loss of Yemeni security officers and citizens killed in recent Al-Qaeda attacks," Hammer said.[31] On Septumber 21: Al-Qaeda militants besieged in the southern Yemeni town of Hota are using residents as human shields in the second major clash between them and troops in recent weeks, an official said on Tuesday. "Al-Qaeda elements are preventing residents from leaving Hota, to use them as human shields," a security official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.[32] The Yemeni army destroyed five homes suspected of hiding al Qaeda militants Tuesday as a siege of a southern village entered its second day, but officials denied reports that U.S.-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was among those surrounded, the AP reported. Earlier Tuesday, an unofficial website run by government opponents, Alganob.net, had reported that al-Awlaki had been surrounded. But the chief municipal official in the area, Atiq Baouda, and the security officials denied that he was in the area under siege. The Yemeni army refused to comment on the operation. A Yemeni news website reported Tuesday that state security forces had surrounded a group of suspected al Qaeda leaders in a south Yemen village, possibly including American-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.[33] On September 22 Al-Qaida militants holed up in a village in south Yemen on Wednesday fought off repeated attempts by government troops backed by tanks and heavy artillery to retake the besieged town, officials said. A military official said the militants are using sniper fire and land mines to keep the soldiers at bay, forcing the army to adjust its tactics. In one attempt, Yemeni troops tried to repel from helicopters into the village but met with fierce resistance, two Hawta residents said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they fear for their security. They said four soldiers were wounded and were rushed away in ambulances. In another attempt, six soldiers were wounded by militant sniper fire as they tried to mount barricades put up by the militants on the town's outskirts, local officials said. Medical officials confirmed that nine soldiers are being treated at the provincial hospital. This was reported by the AP
On September 24 a government siege of al-Hota ends after security forces take control of the town in the southern province of Shabwa.[34]
References
- ^ Plaut, Martin (2010-01-17). "Somalia and Yemen 'swapping militants'". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8463946.stm. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
- ^ "Yemeni troops target al-Qaeda". Al Jazeera. 2010-01-05. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/01/201015132832598600.html. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
- ^ a b Priest, Dana (2010-01-27). "U.S. military teams, intelligence deeply involved in aiding Yemen on strikes". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/26/AR2010012604239.html. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
- ^ http://pascalbonifaceaffairesstrategiques.blogs.nouvelobs.com/archive/2010/09/16/al-qaida-de-l-afghanistan-au-yemen.html
- ^ Yemeni government casualties: [1], [2]
- ^ al-Qaeda casualties: [3], [4], [5], [6]
- ^ a b c Hugh MacLeod and Nasser Arrabyee. "Yemeni air attacks on al-Qaida fighters risk mobilising hostile tribes". http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/03/yemen-air-attacks-alqaida.
- ^ Civilian casualties
- ^ "Reuters AlertNet - Yemen in war with al Qaeda, urges citizens to help". Alertnet.org. 2010-01-14. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE60D0VV.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ a b "Middle East - Yemeni al-Qaeda suspects 'killed'". Al Jazeera English. 2010-01-16. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/01/2010115141954305381.html. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ a b "Images of missile and cluster munitions point to US role in fatal attack in Yemen". http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/yemen-images-missile-and-cluster-munitions-point-us-role-fatal-attack-2010-06-04.
- ^ Raghavan, Sudarsan (2009-12-18). "Yemen asserts 34 rebels killed in raid on Qaeda". The Washington Post (The Boston Globe). http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2009/12/18/yemen_asserts_34_rebels_killed_in_raid_on_qaeda/. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
- ^ Healy, Jack; Shane, Scott (2009-12-24). "Yemen Says It Attacked a Meeting of Al Qaeda". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/25/world/middleeast/25yemen.html. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
- ^ Yemen bắn hạ hai thành viên al-Qaeda (Vietnamese)
- ^ "Yemen 'arrests al-Qaeda suspects' wounded in raid". BBC News. 2010-01-06. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8443078.stm. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ "Yemen forces 'kill al-Qaeda chief'". BBC News. 2010-01-13. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8455822.stm. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ "Yemen Intends to Fight al Qaeda All Alone". Pravda.Ru. 2010-01-15. http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/15-01-2010/111673-yemen_fight_al_qaeda_alone-0. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ Plaut, Martin (2010-01-17). "Somalia and Yemen 'swapping militants'". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8463946.stm. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ "Yemen 'bombs house of suspected al-Qaeda militant'". BBC News. 2010-01-20. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/8469959.stm. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ "Yemen 'stops issuing visas at airports'". BBC News. 2010-01-21. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8471768.stm. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
- ^ Kasolowsky, Raissa (2010-02-08). "Yemen's al Qaeda calls for jihad in region: report". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6172SZ20100208. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
- ^ "Yemen says militants died in raid". BBC News. 2010-03-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/8569903.stm. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
- ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hP17v5PW2ne3Mz8Qvptrz1yvWVsAD9HQNHHO0
- ^ http://mediarabe.info/spip.php?breve2576
- ^ http://www.yobserver.com/front-page/10019482.html
- ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h_GlqXZNatmb0Tb6Wl58uVujS_Eg
- ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jaSuALY9MdZ5WSyhaw8CmEBh4DTw
- ^ "Up to 15,000 flee offensive in Yemen's Shabwa province". BBC News. 2010-09-21. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11380625.
- ^ http://french.cri.cn/621/2010/09/27/261s228818.htm
- ^ "Thousands flee fighting in Yemen's Shabwa province". BBC News. 2010-09-20. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11375786.
- ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5imuU0cNi_2UNaqo54rLDQ8FIrZOA
- ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iKFU_VOICQXF9sQpnpmNPXZmx3bw
- ^ Reals, Tucker (2010-09-21). "Yemen Officials Downplay Report that Radical Cleric Cornered". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20017074-503543.html.
- ^ FACTBOX-Security developments in Yemen Reuters
External links
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Categories: Wars involving Yemen | Conflicts in 2010
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