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Arabia

New Yemeni al Qaeda leader calls for attacks on United States

2015-07-10

[Al Ahram] The new leader of al Qaeda's Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... branch has called for attacks on the United States in his first speech since taking command, the US-based SITE monitoring group reported on Thursday, citing an audio recording. Qassim al-Raymi succeeded Nasser al-Wuhayshi as military commander of 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... (AQAP) after Wuhayshi was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen's south-eastern city of Mukalla last month. In the speech, Raymi eulogized Wuhayshi, pledged allegiance to al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, and called for attacks on the United States, SITE said. "All of you must direct and gather your arrows and swords against it," SITE quoted Raymi as telling Moslems in general in the 14 minute and 9 second recording. "God has helped you against this enemy, for not only did you reach its home, but with praise to God and His grace, you have reached the depths of its heart," he added. The authenticity of the recording, produced by AQAP's al-Malahem Media Foundation, could not immediately be verified. Wuhayshi's death was seen as a major blow to AQAP, regarded by the United States as al-Qaeda's most dangerous affiliate, and to al-Qaeda more broadly. Addressing Zawahri, he said: "I pledge allegiance to you, to listen and obey, in times of difficulty and prosperity, in hardship and in ease, to endure being discriminated against and not to dispute about rule with those in power, and to wage jihad in the cause of God the Almighty, with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, as much I am able." Raymi also congratulated a coalition of jihadi factions in Syria that include the Nusra Front for its recent success in Idlib province, and the Afghan Taliban for victories in its Azm spring offensive, SITE said.

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Arabia

Qaida Vows Fierce Attacks on Yemen Shiite Militiamen

2014-11-22

[AnNahar] The Al-Qaeda military chief in Yemen has vowed to launch fierce attacks against Shiite Huthi forces of Evil sweeping across the country, in an audio message posted Friday on jihadist websites. "To the Huthis we say: brace yourselves for horrors that will make the hair of children turn white," said Qassem al-Rimi, the military chief of 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... AQAP, which is considered by Washington as the most dangerous arm of the jihadist organization, said several attacks targeting Huthis and claimed by the group were only a "warm-up". "Today you are our target... and don't even think that your crimes will go unpunished," added Rimi. Houthis overran the capital in September and then began taking territory east and south towards areas where the Sunni Al-Qaeda bully boyz are active. AQAP has already threatened an "all out war" against the Huthis and claimed several deadly attacks on them, including one in October in Sanaa that killed 50 people. Earlier this month, AQAP leader Nasser al-Wuhayshi accused the Huthis of collaborating with the United States and Iran to destroy Sunni Moslems.

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Arabia

Yemen Army Seizes Major Qaida Bastion in South

2014-05-09

[AnNahar] Yemen's army seized control of major al-Qaeda stronghold Azzan in the southern province of Shabwa as an offensive against faceless myrmidons entered its tenth day Thursday, the defense ministry announced. It also announced that the army had killed four fighters it said were local leaders of the bad boy group in festivities in Shabwa and neighboring Abyan ...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an Islamic Emirate after seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues... province. "Armed and security forces have entered Azzan," the second-largest city in Shabwa, the ministry said in a statement, quoting a military official. A local government official in Shabwa confirmed that "army forces have entered Azzan without resistance" from al-Qaeda gunnies who "withdrew to Al-Koor," a mountainous region nearby. The official told AFP that "an agreement was reached between local tribal dignitaries and al-Qaeda, allowing faceless myrmidons to withdraw without fighting in order to spare the city bloodshed and destruction". In Abyan, fresh festivities erupted on Thursday around Wadi Dhiqa, said a member of the Popular Resistance Committees who have been fighting alongside the army. Militants had fled Wadi Dhiqa, their stronghold, on Tuesday and had returned in bid to recapture it, the militiaman said. "Dozens of fighters came back from surrounding mountains seeking to retake the region. They shot up soldiers who responded," he said. The defense ministry meanwhile reported Thursday that four local leaders of al-Qaeda, among them a Kuwaiti identified as Abu Musaab, were killed in festivities with troops in the two provinces. It identified the other three as Abu Walid al-Humaiqani, Khaled al-Oudeini and Abu Adel al-Kaldi but gave no further details. The offensive began on April 29 in the country's rugged southern and central provinces, where a wave of U.S. drone strikes killed scores of suspected al-Qaeda faceless myrmidons last month. The defense ministry in its Thursday statement said the hard boyz were being pushed back by government forces. "Security and stability are gradually returning to regions which have been cleansed of terrorists" in Maifaa, a Shabwa region where troops claimed killing scores of suspected faceless myrmidons on Sunday and Mahfad in Abyan. At least 79 faceless myrmidons and more than 24 soldiers have died in the latest fighting, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Authorities from May 1 however stopped providing figures on troop casualties. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been linked to a number of failed terror plots against the United States, and its leader Nasser al-Wuhayshi recently appeared in a rare video in which he vowed to attack Western "crusaders" wherever they are. The jihadists took advantage of a 2011 uprising that forced veteran strongman President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... from power to seize large swathes of southern and eastern Yemen. The army recaptured several major towns in 2012 but has struggled to reassert control in rural areas, despite the backing of Death Eaters recruited among local tribes.

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Arabia

U.S. Closes Yemen Embassy amid Fears of Qaida Revenge Attacks

2014-05-09

[AnNahar] The U.S. embassy was closed to the public Thursday in Yemen after a spate of attacks against foreigners and fears that al-Qaeda will seek Dire Revenge™ for a deadly offensive in the south. "The embassy is closed today. And this will remain in effect until further notice," an employee at the U.S. mission in a heavily-guarded neighborhood in northeast Sanaa, told AFP. Police were deployed along all roads leading to the embassy and conducted a thorough inspection of vehicles in the vicinity in line with security measures put in place several months ago. State Department spokeswoman Jan Psaki said Wednesday that the embassy would be temporarily closed to the public "due to recent attacks against Western interests in Yemen". These attacks "and information we have received have given us enough concern to take this precautionary step," she said in a statement. On Monday a Frenchie was killed and another was maimed when gunnies opened fire on their car in Sanaa's diplomatic district. Both worked for a private security firm that officials said was guarding the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... delegation in Yemen. On Wednesday, Yemeni security forces rubbed out the head of a "terror cell" behind Monday's attack, the country's supreme security committee said. Later that day the interior ministry said it was searching for suspects whose vehicles were involved in recent attacks in Sanaa after "five al-Qaeda terrorists" were tossed in the slammer Please don't kill me! in several parts of the capital. The suspects had "arms, ammunition, and devices used to carry out terrorist acts" in their possession, it said. The developments came as Yemen pressed with a deadly offensive against strongholds of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in the lawless south of the country. As the operation entered its 10th day Thursday the defense ministry announced that the army had seized control of a major AQAP stronghold in Azzan, in southern Shabwa province. Authorities have reported that several al-Qaeda commanders were among dozens of suspected snuffies killed since the operation was launched on April 29. "These huge losses will push al-Qaeda to commit hysterical and desperate acts by mobilizing its supporters and dormant cells to attack police and army officers," the interior ministry said Monday. The offensive against AQAP suspects was launched in the rugged southern and central provinces, where a wave of U.S. drone strikes killed scores of suspected snuffies last month. AQAP is seen by the United States as the network's deadliest franchise. The group, a merger of al-Qaeda in Yemen and Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , has been linked to a number of failed terror plots against the United States. AQAP leader Nasser al-Wuhayshi vowed, in a rare video appearance last month, to attack Western "crusaders" wherever they are. Al-Qaeda usually uses the term crusaders to refer to Western powers, especially the ones which have intervened militarily in Moslem countries, mainly the United States, Britannia and La Belle France. In her statement on Wednesday the State Department spokeswoman said that Washington would "evaluate the security every day and.. reopen the embassy to the public once it is deemed appropriate. The U.S. embassy and several Western missions in Yemen closed in August after U.S. warnings of an al-Qaeda attack. AQAP took advantage of the weakening of the Sanaa central government after a popular uprising in 2011 forced out veteran president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... .

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Arabia

Foreign Qaida Suspects Killed in Yemen Army Offensive

2014-05-08

[An Nahar] An Algerian, a Pak, and a Saudi are among Al-Qaeda suspects killed in an offensive against snuffies in southern Yemen, the army said Wednesday. "The body of Abu Ayub al-Jazairi, a local (Algerian) leader of Al-Qaeda, was found in Wadi Dhiqa," a valley located between the southern provinces of Shabwa and Abyan ...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an Islamic Emirate after seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues... , the ministry said on its 26sep.net website. "Another local chief, (Pak) Nakhii, aka Mikassa, was killed by our brave soldiers, as well as another, named Abu Dojana (a Saudi)," the ministry said, adding that both had died in Shabwa. The offensive began on April 29 in the country's rugged southern and central provinces, where a wave of U.S. drone strikes killed scores of suspected Al-Qaeda forces of Evil last month. Several foreigners suspected of membership in the network have been killed in the offensive, with authorities also speaking of Afghans, Somalis and Chechens. The dead include two foreign commanders. One is Abu Islam al-Shishani, who had Chechen links, and Abu Muslim al-Uzbeki, who hailed from Uzbekistan. So far, 75 forces of Evil and more than 24 soldiers have been killed in the latest operations, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula -- formed out of a merger of the network's Yemeni and Saudi branches -- has denied President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi's allegations that 70 percent of its fighters are foreigners. AQAP has been linked to a number of failed terror plots against the United States, and its leader Nasser al-Wuhayshi recently appeared in a rare video in which he vowed to attack Western "crusaders" wherever they are.

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Arabia

30 'Qaida' Suspects Killed in Yemen Drone Strike

2014-04-21

[An Nahar] Weekend drone strikes in Yemen killed more than 40 suspected al-Qaeda krazed killers, including 30 on Sunday, days after the jihadist network's Arabian Peninsula offshoot vowed to fight against Western "crusaders." The United States is the only country that operates drones in Yemen, and President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi has defended their use, despite criticism from rights groups who deplore civilian casualties. On Sunday U.S. drones fired "several missiles" into a training camp run by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in the rugged Wadi Ghadina region in the southern province of Abyan ...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an Islamic Emirate after seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues... , a tribal chief said. "More than 30 members of al-Qaeda were killed and many others maimed," near al-Mahfad town, he said. Abyan lies next to Shabwa province, another region of Yemen where al-Qaeda is entrenched. Witnesses also said that a U.S. drone carried out the attack and that the most of the maimed were evacuated by members of the Islamist network. A statement on the 26sep.net defense ministry website said the attack on al-Qaeda "training camps" killed "several" faceless myrmidons of various nationalities. On Saturday a drone strike in the central province of Baida killed 10 al-Qaeda suspects and three civilians, according to the official Saba news agency. It did not say who carried out the attack. After that strike, al-Qaeda faceless myrmidons cordoned off the area and evacuated dead comrades, tribal sources said. They said all those killed on Saturday were low-ranking faceless myrmidons from the region. An official statement on Saba said the dead were "dangerous elements" who had been plotting to carry out "attacks on vital installations and on politicians and military personnel" in Baida. The statement said the suspects were also responsible for the murder of Baida's deputy governor on April 15. The weekend attacks came less than a week after AQAP chief Nasser al-Wuhayshi pledged in a rare video appearance to fight Western "crusaders" everywhere. "We will continue to raise the banner of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula and our war against the crusaders will continue everywhere in the world," he said in the video posted online.

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Arabia

Yemen President Lashes Out at 'Below-Par' Security Services

2014-02-16

You've got a Third World country there, buddy, heading downhill fast. Why the surprise? [An Nahar] President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi on Saturday lashed out at the "below-par" performance of Yemen's security services, after 29 inmates including suspected al-Qaeda members beat feet from Sanaa central prison. The prison break after an assault on Thursday unmasked a lack of improved security at the facility, despite vows by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) chief Nasser al-Wuhayshi last year to free incarcerated members of his group. Wuhayshi himself escaped in February 2006 from the political security prison in Sanaa with 22 other members of AQAP before being named the group's leader a year later. Hadi on Saturday made a surprise visit to the interior ministry and the central prison where he was briefed on details of the assault, state news agency Saba reported. The president, leading the country for an interim transitional period, "pointed out that terrorist acts couldn't have been at this level if it weren't for the below-par performance of the security services," Saba reported. "Any visitor to a ministry or any such installation can easily judge the level of readiness and security even from outside the entrance," Hadi said at the interior ministry. He called for "increased alertness" by security forces, "especially in Sanaa," Saba reported. Security officials said a two-pronged assault on the prison began when an explosives-laden vehicle slammed into the eastern gate just after sunset. Suspected al-Qaeda gunnies simultaneously attacked guards at the main entrance, creating a diversion that allowed some prisoners to escape through the hole. Eleven security members were killed in the assault, according to officials. Such large-scale assaults have become more frequent in Yemen, prompting analysts to warn of al-Qaeda penetration into security and military services.

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