Yemeni Report Explores Al-Qa'ida's 'New Strategy' in Southern Yemen
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3. Deterrence In any part of the world, there are two types of enemies: domestic and foreign. In order to silence both, it is important to have a strong military force that can push the hypocrites at home to end their hypocrisy, and to force the foreign enemy to revise its calculations and think a thousand times before initiating any aggression. Deterrence comes in different shapes and forms, including the heavy presence of security forces in areas under control, and in raids on areas outside our control, in addition to the training and graduating of new military classes who already belong to the region under control. All of these are indicators of power with which we can terrorize the enemies, just like God the Almighty had said: "Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides," [partial Koranic verse, Al-Anfal, 8:60]. The force that is called for here is the kind that would terrorize the enemies of God, for only power can deter the souls of the enemies. I do not want to elaborate too much here, but I would also like to mention the methods utilized by the Jewish army in deterring and taming the Arab countries. The Jewish army is considered the most experienced in practicing psychological and military warfare against its enemies. A Final Word According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the race of Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula is considered one of the most noble and strong of all the races in the world in terms of its natural constitution. Physically, they submit to none, except to just few other human races, if any at all. Mentally, they are superior to most, and nothing stops them from advancing except a noticeable deficiency in the ability to organize and initiate joint action. The issue of organizing and joint action is an important subject to address, for it is indispensible to those who seek success. I will explain it first through the story of a Christian Egyptian woman. During a televised interview, she said that after the revolution she decided to vote for the Muslim Brotherhood, which saved her from imminent death at the hands of thugs in Tahrir Square. As I looked into this, I found that the youths of the Brotherhood had brilliantly foiled a series of attacks by such thugs. They formed barriers made of junk at the three main entrances to the Square. Standing at those barriers were teams of men ready to throw stones so as to respond directly to any thug attacks. Behind those teams were back-up groups of youths stationed at the center of the Square, ready to be called on as the need arose. Their signal to jump into action was certain sounds- banging pots together, things like that. The Brotherhood set up their base at the center of the Square. They designated areas for detaining thugs, providing first aid, and had teams for securing those areas and distributing stones, etc. Another example is what is happening in Libya, where the arms and number of rebels are formidable, and the military scale does not seem to tilt terribly too much toward the side of Al-Qadhafi. However, those rebels, along with the mujahidin, have not yet made any significant military advancements, which has left the coastline back and forth and near chaos. I realize that the NATO forces want to preserve a certain balance in the region, and besides trying to shrink the powers of Al-Qadhafi, perhaps it seeks to tame the Transition Council in Libya. However, I believe that such a battle can be resolved ultimately in favor of the rebels with the tools they have on hand if they only organize themselves well. The key word here is "organizing," which is quite different from the scene in Egypt as described above. Both scenes differ in their size and circumstance. What concerns us here is that we can find ourselves in the same situation in the areas under jihadst influence in Yemen. Arms can be made available and the number of troops abundant. However, proper organization may be lacking. As a result, we could fall into the same trap where people will be repulsed by us because of the subsequent, less-than-desirable circumstances. People are typically attracted only to the powerful and capable, who provide them with security and protection, no matter who that party is. After all, this is what caused the Christian woman to decide to vote for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. This is also what has pushed our people in Libya to seek the intervention and protection of NATO, after the rebels had failed to provide them with security. The weak do not have the required competence to overcome such challenging circumstances, no matter what his history or path is. I fear that the mujahidin themselves, even if they have enough experience, might still face the same predicament should they try to advance in guerilla warfare instead of properly organizing themselves, including in the areas beyond military operations. In my view, the next phase of war will require a new way of combat that can enable us to transcend the military might of the enemies, just like the prophet, peace be upon him, in the Battle of Badr. He organized his forces into ranks at a time when the Arabs did not recognize any other tactics beyond the familiar strike and retreat method in the battlefield. The nature of that new type of combat also follows, in spirit, the tactic used by Khalid Bin-al-Walid, who organized the Muslim battle formations known as Karadis in the Battle of Yarmuk. It also follows, in spirit, the tactics used by warriors like Hitler in his blitzkrieg, and many others. General Mahmud Shut said in a related address: "Military history tells us that the key to the victories of great leaders such as Alexander and Hannibal in ancient times, and Napoleon, Moltke, Rommel, and Ronsteit in modern times, is that they either implemented new and unfamiliar tactics, or they used innovative and unfamiliar weapons. To conclude, I say that hope rides on the military planners of Ansar al-Shari'ah in showing enough flexibility to absorb the extent of counter-campaigns against them by utilizing suitable military tactics. Sooner or later, God willing, their conquest operations will open up the rest of the regions. So be steadfast, sons of Usama. These days will determine the future, which reminds me of the saying of the prophet, peace be upon him, to Khadija: "The time for sleeping is over, Khadija!" Abdallah Bin-Muhammad 3 June 2011 [To view the vernacular, click here.] [Description of Source: Al-Tahaddi Islamic Network in Arabic -- Salafi-jihadist web forum with a focus on global jihad; site correspondents reliably post Al-Qa'ida and affiliate messaging; first observed online in 2008, the site has for most of its existence been inaccessible to unregistered users, with the exception of the "Announcements and Statements Forum"; however, in early February 2010, the site administrator announced that visitors to the site would be able to view the majority of its forums without registering; URL: www.atahadi.com/vb] Xinhua: 2nd LD: Qaida Militants Raid Government Buildings, Airforce Base in South Yemen, 4 Killed CPP20110615968383 Beijing Xinhua in English 1206 GMT 15 Jun 11 [Xinhua: "2nd LD: Qaida Militants Raid Government Buildings, Airforce Base in South Yemen, 4 Killed"] [Computer selected and disseminated without OSC editorial intervention] ADEN/SANAA, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Al-Qaida militants carried out a number of armed attacks targeting Yemen's largest military air base of al-Anad in southern province of Lahj on Wednesday after a series of offensive attacks at police stations and intelligence headquarters earlier in the day, a local military official told Xinhua. A security official in Houta, the provincial capital city of Lahj, told Xinhua that "armed militants believed to be from al- Qaida wing opened heavy fires on security guards of some government buildings, including police stations, intelligence headquarters and banks, in the city at Wednesday dawn." A local resident named Nabih said that electricity supply was cut in the city during the clashes, in which sounds of machine guns and mortars were heard, while people were fearing going outside and many shops and markets closed. Groups of al-Qaida militants also attacked the al-Anad military air base located to the northeast of Aden province from several directions with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity, adding that fierce clashes are still going on between the two sides after the militants withdrew and then struck back. Meanwhile, a local doctor at the Ibn Khaldoon hospital said on condition of anonymity that four soldiers were killed and dozens of others injured were receiving treatment at the hospital. Armed gunmen believed belonging to al-Qaida were seen marching the streets of Lahj province, Wadhah Omar, according to a local resident. A post office and several banks were completely destroyed after the looting acts by al-Qaida militants, Omar said, adding that all the contents of that banks were taken by al-Qaida. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAp) has intensified their activities in southern provinces of the impoverished Arab country as its cash-stripped government was in the grip of five-month-long protests demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Late in May, the Yemen-based al-Qaida wing took over all parts of southern Abyan province and declared the city of Abyan as the capital city of its "Islamic Emirate" in a statement the group read in front of local residents. Gulf countries and western community fear that unrest in Yemen could make it as strong footholds for the terrorist groups that would possibly threaten one of the world busiest oil shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. [Description of Source: Beijing Xinhua in English -- China's official news service for English-language audiences (New China News Agency)] Xinhua: 2nd LD: Al-Qaida Fighters Seize State-Run Radio Station in South Yemen: Official CPP20110615968092 Beijing Xinhua in English 1125 GMT 15 Jun 11 [Xinhua: "2nd LD: Al-Qaida Fighters Seize State-Run Radio Station in South Yemen: Official"] [Computer selected and disseminated without OSC editorial intervention] SANAA, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Suspected al-Qaida militants seized a state-run radio station in Yemen's southern province of Lahj on Wednesday, a local official told Xinhua. "The militants believed to be belonging to al-Qaida group stormed today the building of the government-owned radio station in Lahj's capital city Houta, forcing journalists and staff out of the building," the official said, confirming that fierce clashes also flared around the provincial building of the country's Central Bank of Yemen. The official, who requested anonymity, said the militants have not run the radio station, added that groups of the same militants also engaged in heavy shooting against security forces guarding the provincial building of the Central Bank in downtown Houta. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses said they saw several dead bodies of the security troops littering streets outside the branch bank. Officials said that "backup of military forces was dispatched from nearby military base, Al-Anad, to help sweep away, kill or arrest those armed terrorists." The militants wielding machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades have carried out a series of attacks against government buildings in Houta since early Wednesday, killing at least three security guards and injuring four others. Another large group of suspected al-Qaida militants waged attacks on the Air Force Base of Al-Anad in northern Lahj, some 337 km south of the capital Sanaa. While the cash-stripped Yemeni government was preoccupying with five-month-long street protests demanding overthrowing President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the well-armed militants of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula expanded its footholds in southern provinces, seizing Abyan since earlier this month. The international community and other Arab countries fear that al-Qaida could control oil shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. [Description of Source: Beijing Xinhua in English -- China's official news service for English-language audiences (New China News Agency)] Xinhua: Al-Qaida Militants Attack Intelligence HQ in South Yemen CPP20110615968072 Beijing Xinhua in English 0818 GMT 15 Jun 11 [Xinhua: "Al-Qaida Militants Attack Intelligence HQ in South Yemen"] [Computer selected and disseminated without OSC editorial intervention] ADEN, Yemen, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Al-Qaida militants launched several armed attacks against the police stations and intelligence headquarters in southern Yemen's province of Lahj on Wednesday, attempting to seize the city, a provincial security official told Xinhua.
Al-Qaida militants have seized control of government buildings and facilities including banks in south Yemen during the past four weeks, killing and injuring dozens of soldiers. [Description of Source: Beijing Xinhua in English -- China's official news service for English-language audiences (New China News Agency)] Yemen: Al-Tahrir Party's Flyers Call For Establishing 'Islamic Emirate' in Aden GMP20110616189003 Ma'rib Ma'rib Press in Arabic 15 Jun 11 [Unattributed "exclusive" report: "The Southern Military Zone Raises the Degree of Alertness to the Maximum: Al-Qa'ida Armed Elements Infiltrate to Aden; Flyers Call For Establishing an Islamic Emirate in the City; Slogans Calling For Imposing the Shari'ah Law and Driving Infidels Out Painted on the Walls"] Citizens in Aden Governorate are worried that the scenario of Abyan Governorate moves to Aden, following news that armed elements from a group that calls itself "The Shari'ah Supporters" infiltrated to Aden and launched several attacks against military targets in the city, including the attack on a military checkpoint in Al-Arish on the evening of 13 June and the assassination of a military official by detonating his car in Al-Burayqah. Citizens are also seeing masked armed elements roaming the streets at night, amid a loose security situation in the city. Meanwhile, security forces said that the guards of Phoenicia Hotel in Aden -- which is one of the finest tourist complexes in Aden -- succeeded in thwarting the attempt to detonate the hotel, after they seized a number of explosives with individuals that were able to bypass several military checkpoints without being seized until they parked their cars next to the hotel. Sources said that the detainees confessed that they are members of a jihadist group in Abyan and they wanted to detonate the Phoenicia Hotel in Jazirat al-Ummal in Khawr Maksar, Aden. Ma'rib Press has learned that the commanders of the southern military zone decided to raise the degree of security alertness to the maximum, in anticipation to any emergency in the city, after the infiltration of armed elements to Aden was confirmed. Local residents said that unidentified individuals have been distributing flyers in mosques and markets for days. The flyers are attributed to the banned Al-Tahrir Party [Party of Liberation] and call on citizens to close ranks and establish an Islamic emirate in Aden. Moreover, slogans are painted on the walls in various areas of the governorate, calling for establishing the Islamic Caliphate, imposing the Shari'ah Law, and driving infidels out of the Arabian Peninsula. Experts say that the authorities conspired with [the writers of] these slogans in order to give an excuse for their shelling the city in a destructive way. Armed elements believed to be members of Al-Qa'ida have controlled Abyan Governorate following several sporadic attempts and attacks on military checkpoints, and this is the scenario that citizens dread witnessing in their city. In a statement, the Journalists Syndicate in Aden called on security institutions, civil society organizations, civil councils, and popular committees to unite their efforts in order to maintain security and calm and defend public and private properties, as well as citizens' security and comfort. The syndicate further called on security forces to defend citizens' security and comfort and reestablish the security zone on the outskirts of Aden and on the intersections that lead to the city, without withdrawing security guards from government institutions and facilities in the city. At 0300 [ 0000 GMT] on 15 June, armed elements attacked the Lahij Security Department, the Central Security building, and the Central Bank using heavy weapons, and gave the local authorities 24 hours to hand over the governorate. The Ma'rib Press correspondent in Lahij Governorate said that a Central Security soldier was killed and three others wounded when 30 gunmen attacked the Public Security Department, the Central Security building, the Central Bank, and the Post Office, demanding that the governorate be handed over. Brigadier General Ali al-Sa'di, leading figure in the Southern Mobility Movement [SMM], said that the regime is trying to weaken the capacities of army units stationed in South Yemen in general and in Abyan specifically, in order to delude the world into believing that Al-Qa'ida is about to control Yemen. In a statement published on Al-Jazirah.net, Al-Sa'di added that there are confirmed information that Ali Salih gave orders to various military commanders to hand over their stations to the armed groups, noting that several commanders refused these orders and called on Abyan's citizens to help them protect these military sites. Al-Sa'di further said that Ali Salih is trying to delude the international community into believing that in case it does not rush to support him remain in power, Al-Qa'ida will replace his regime. [Description of Source: Ma'rib Ma'rib Press in Arabic -- Independent news website focusing on Yemeni affairs; URL: http://www.marebpress.net/] Yemen: Al-Qa'ida Groups Claim Control Over Lahij, Aden; Govt Withdraws Forces GMP20110616139001 Ma'rib Ma'rib Press in Arabic 15 Jun 11 [Unattributed report: "As Part of an Official Plan To Establish an Islamic Emirate In Yemen; Al-Qa'ida Assassinates a Military Commander in Ma'rib and Pledges To Remove the Yemeni Flags in Shabwah; Supreme Directives Ordering the Army To Withdraw From Abyan Paving the Way To Hand Aden And Lahij Over To the Armed Groups."] It seems that the scenario that took place in Abyan will reoccur in more than one Yemeni governorate, on top of which are Lahij and Aden. Lahij Governorate was invaded on 13 June by the first batch of armed groups, which led to an unprecedented exodus of civilians from its capital to Al-Hawtah city; moreover, Aden Governorate was infiltrated by armed groups, who started distributing leaflets calling for the establishment of an Islamic Emirate and expulsion of what they deemed as infidels. Concurrently, a group called Ansar Shari'ah Group in Abyan Governorate declared its victory over forces from the Yemeni army in Abyan and announced that it will give a reward of 5 million rial [equivalent to $23,446] to those who either kill or provide information about the 12 pilots who took part in shelling Zinjibar and Ja'ar. The group also pledged to kill the pilots anywhere even if they were hiding behind the curtains of Kaaba [most sacred site in Islam, situated in Mecca]. Following the victory that the group attained in Abyan and according to the preliminary indications, the Islamic groups, believed to be affiliated with Al-Qa'ida, will choose Shabwah Governorate as their fourth target following Aden and Lahij. Local sources confirmed that there is a state of high alert among the tribes of Laqmush area in Shabwah following a dispute that took place today in the area between the tribes and elements affiliated with the armed groups who control Abyan Governorate. The sources noted that at noon today a group of youth assigned to protect the main road from blockade -- also identified as a popular committee -- who were hoisting a Yemeni flag in the area, was raided by elements from the armed groups. The latter demanded them to take down the flag of the Republic of Yemen; however, when the youth and the tribesmen refused to do so, the armed elements affiliated with the Islamic armed groups attempted to take it down by force, an act which led to the start of an altercation between the two sides. The altercation ended after a gunmen affiliated with the armed groups pledged to remove all Yemeni flags from the area tonight. Laqmush tribes took his pledge seriously and began mobilizing their men in anticipation of a possible attack on the area by the armed groups affiliated with the Al-Qa'ida Organization, which appears to be working on expanding its presence in a number of southern governorates. Furthermore, Ma'rib Governorate was not secluded from this scheme, in which gunmen believed to be from the supporters of Al-Qa'ida Organization killed today at night Colonel Abdu al-Najjar, commander of Al-Falij military checkpoint in the governorate. The attack led to the wounding of one of Al-Najjar's bodyguards. The perpetrators of the attack were able to escape to an unknown area. Abyan Governorate has an assembly point for the armed groups after they had claimed control over it since a number of weeks; those groups are also working on expanding their control over the neighboring governorates. This comes while the Defense Ministry and other senior officials ordered the 25 Mechanized Brigade to withdraw from Zinjibar and hand their sites over to gunmen who claimed control over the area. Local sources stated that there are immense pressures on the 25th Mechanized Brigade to withdraw from the area after inflicting the armed groups with great losses during the past days. The directives ordered the brigade to withdraw from Aden, something that was rejected by the brigade's commander Muhammad al-Sumali, while Staff Major General Ali Jazi al-Ghusayli was sent on a compulsory leave from the Defense Ministry because he is from Shabwah Governorate, where gunmen want to expand control. Observers claim that the withdrawal is a prelude to pave the way for the armed groups to advance towards Aden and Lahij governorates. Those developments came in parallel with the efforts exerted by a number of chieftains in Abyan Governorates to restore normality and provide relief to the civilians from the areas of clashes who became in desperate need for humanitarian relief. Chieftain Ali Yaslam Ba'udah noted that he is the one in charge of restoring normality in the area, and stated that the armed groups want to restore normality and relief the displaced civilians who were trapped in the areas of clashes. He also noted that the residents of the area are currently working on forming a local council in the governorate and said that he is exerting efforts to unite the vision between the citizens and the armed groups, whom he is close to. Ba'udah affirmed that he contacted social figures in the governorate and the armed groups whom he has old ties with, and said that they all expressed their willingness to restore normality in the area, aid the displaced, and allow aid and relief organization to reach them. [Description of Source: Ma'rib Ma'rib Press in Arabic -- Independent news website focusing on Yemeni affairs; URL: http://www.marebpress.net/] Directory: gifiles -> attach attach -> British Forces – Akrioti, Greece Griffin Fighter Squadron (84 Squadron raf) MoD announced possible Typhoon and Tornado arrivals to the base France attach -> Russia 110204 Basic Political Developments attach -> Unclassified//for official use only attach -> Adaptability Sustainment attach -> Pop-up 1 ("C" Chechnya) Header Text: Emir of the Caucasus Emirate Doku Umarov Image attach -> Russia and Islam are not Separate attach -> Chapter 13: The Northern Caucasus attach -> Russia 100209 Basic Political Developments attach -> The evolution attach -> The devolution Download 0.68 Mb. Share with your friends:
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