Arabia |
Former al-Qaeda commander and HTS associate launches new movement in Hadhramaut Valley |
2025-04-16 |
[HodhodYemen ...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... News] Abu Omar Riyad al-Nahdi, a former leader in al-Qaeda and a prominent associate of the head of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS) in Iraq, has officially launched a new political movement called "Current of Change and Liberation" in the city of Seiyun, Hadhramaut Valley, well-informed sources reported. The sources confirmed that al-Nahdi, who defected from the takfiri ![]() organization in 2018, was previously known by "Rafiq al-Shar’a" due to his close ties with Ahmed al-Shar’a (Abu Mohammed al-Julani), the leader of HTS—a ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... -backed faction that later declared itself the governing authority in Syria after Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... ’s departure from power. The new movement has reportedly gained significant traction in the valley’s districts, coinciding with humanitarian activities carried out by the Ottoman Turkish Red Islamic Thingy (Hilal al-Ahmar al-Turki) in recent years, facilitated by leaders of al-Islah Party (Yemen’s Moslem Brüderbund affiliate). Notably, al-Nahdi previously fought with al-Qaeda in Iraq before announcing his defection and undergoing political training, raising questions about his true objectives, regional affiliations, and activities under a political cover in Hadhramaut’s oil-rich areas. These regions are controlled by factions of the First Military District, which is loyal to Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a leading figure in al-Islah. Observers view the announcement of this movement in Seiyun as a clear message from al-Islah to curb the ambitions of the UAE-backed Southern Translation Council (STC), which has failed since August 2022 to fully control Hadhramaut Valley after declaring "Operation Arrows of the East." Saudi-led forces blocked the STC’s military advances after the factions seized al-Islah’s camps in 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 Emirateafter 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... . This comes at a time when Hadhramaut Governorate is witnessing intense political conflicts between the UAE and Saudi Arabia ![]() , carried out through local proxies such as the STC, the Hadhramaut Tribes Alliance, and al-Jami’, the latter two being headed by tribal sheikh Amr bin Habrish al-Ali, who is aligned with Saudi Arabia. His armed forces took control of the oil fields in July of last year and are now moving to encircle the coastal districts controlled by UAE-backed factions, including al-Rayyan Airport and the al-Dhaba oil terminal, which have been under Emirati control since 2016. |
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Arabia |
Two prominent Al-Qaeda figures killed in Saudi-occupied Yemen |
2025-02-16 |
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Two prominent leaders of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, including a Saudi national, were killed in separate ... KABOOM!... s in the governorates 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 Emirateafter 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... and Shabwah, which are under the control of the Saudi-led coalition in southeastern 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... Informed sources confirmed that a senior figure, known by the alias Abu Muhammad al-Hudhali al-Makki—a Saudi national—was killed in a US airstrike on the Musayna'ah area in the al-Saeed district, south of Ataq in Shabwa governorate, which is controlled by UAE-backed factions, last Wednesday. The sources also reported the death of another leader, Ayoub al-restive Lahj ... a Yemeni governate located in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. It is the stomping grounds on the southern secessionist al-Harak movement i, in a similar airstrike in Mudiyah district, Abyan governorate, last week. These operations targeting the organization's leaders followed the death of another leader, Abu Yusuf al-Mahdi al-Hadrami, earlier in February. He was killed in a kaboom involving a booby-trapped cycle of violence in the Wadi district, east of Ma'rib city, which is controlled by the Islah Party. The governorates of Abyan, Shabwah, and Ma'rib have witnessed a significant presence of terrorist elements, especially after Saudi Arabia ![]() gathered these groups into training camps following the cleansing operations carried out by Sana'a forces in the al-Bayda districts in recent years. Related: Al-Saeed district: 2023-06-16 Four UAE-backed militia members killed in Shabwah Al-Saeed district: 2023-02-21 Clashes Erupt Between Rival Tribes in Shabwah Province Al-Saeed district: 2012-10-06 US suspected drone kills five persons in Shabwa Related: Shabwa governorate: 2017-12-16 Yemeni army liberates most of Bihan as Houthis flee from Shabwa Shabwa governorate: 2015-12-07 Soddy forces seizes rebel arms shipments Shabwa governorate: 2015-12-03 Soddy war birds hit Sanaa |
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Arabia | |
Prominent al-Qaeda leader killed in occupied Ma'rib | |
2025-02-09 | |
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] A prominent leader in the terrorist organization al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula![]() (AQAP) was killed east of the city of Ma'rib, which is under the control of Islah Party
According to media sources, Abu Yusuf al-Muhammadi al-Hadrami, a prominent member and a military commander of al-Qaeda in was killed when a cycle of violence packed with explosives went off in the al-Samdah area, located in the al-Wadi district, east of Ma'rib. The sources suggested that the liquidation of al-Hadrami via a booby-trapped cycle of violence could mark the beginning of a conflict between al-Qaeda leaders, who use several areas controlled by Islah in Ma'rib and some southern regions as training camps for their operatives. Related: Ma''rib: 2024-09-06 Leftover explosive ordnance kills civilian in Ma'rib province Ma''rib: 2024-02-24 Good Morning Ma''rib: 2024-01-12 US and UK strike against Houthi targets across Yemen as turbans flee their camps Related: Wadi district: 2023-09-16 Internal disputes among Al-Qaeda in Ma'rib escalate Wadi district: 2023-08-02 Explosive attack targets occupied city of Ma'rib Wadi district: 2023-06-27 Ma'rib Tribes threaten to violently expel Islah from province | |
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Arabia | |
New study reveals million dollar business in human trafficking of African refugees to Yemen | |
2025-01-15 | |
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] A shocking international study has revealed the extent of the illicit trade that thrives on the back of the suffering of African ...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... A study conducted by the ''MMC'' (a global network), which specializes in migration research, showed that the smuggling of African The study indicated that about 100,000 This trade is considered one of the most dangerous types of illegal immigration in the world, as During the past year, hundreds of African ...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 Emirateafter 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... provinces amid accusations against leaders of the UAE-backed factions of collusion with smuggling gangs in exchange for sums of money paid to them on a monthly basis.
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Arabia |
STC-affiliated leader injured in landmine explosion |
2024-03-22 |
![]() ...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 Emirateafter 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... , southern 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... . Pro-STC Media sources reported that the chief of staff of the so-called "Second Battalion in the Sixth Support Brigade," Mahmoud Braber, was maimed in a kaboom of a landmine he attempted to dismantle in Wadi Omran in the district of Mudiyah east of the city of Zinjibar, the bucolic provincial capital. According to the sources, Braber fired at the landmine to detonate it and neutralize its effect, but unidentified individuals remotely executed the detonation of the landmine. He was then transferred to one of the hospitals in Aden, the sources said. |
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AQAP announces the death of its emir Khalid Batarfi | |||||||||
2024-03-11 | |||||||||
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Al-Qaeda's branch in 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... has announced the death of its leader Khalid Batarfi and named a successor, SITE Intelligence Group reported Sunday, March 10. The monitoring service said Batarfi's body was shown in footage released by 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) in a burial shroud and wrapped in a flag bearing the jihadist group's name. "God took his soul while he patiently sought his reward and stood firm, immigrated, garrisoned, and waged jihad," SITE quoted an AQAP veteran as saying of Batarfi in the nearly 15-minute video. There were no immediate details of the time or cause of Batarfi's death. He was believed to be in his 40s. The United States considers al-Qaeda's Yemen branch the most dangerous faction of the global jihadist network, and the State Department designated Batarfi in 2018 a "global terrorist". SITE said the group had named its new chief Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, who last appeared in a video released in February 2023 urging Sunni rustics to join AQAP. The Sunni bad boy group thrived in the chaos of years of war since 2014 between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Iran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the JewsThey like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... s. AQAP has carried out operations in Yemen against both the Huthis and government forces. It has also carried out sporadic attacks abroad, including on the offices of the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo ...Pix/Hebdo2.pngA lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe... in 2015 and a 2019 mass shooting at a US naval base in Florida, in which a Saudi Air Force officer killed three American sailors.
Though believed to be weakened in recent years due to infighting and suspected US drone strikes killing its leaders, the group known by the acronym AQAP has long been considered the most dangerous branch of the extremist group still operating after the killing of founder Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda released a video showing al-Batarfi wrapped in a white funeral shroud and al-Qaeda’s black-and-white flag. Terrorists offered no details on the cause of his death and there was no clear sign of trauma visible on his face. Al-Batarfi was believed to be in his early 40s. In the announcement, the group said Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki would take over as its leader. The US has a $6 million bounty on him, saying al-Awlaki “has publicly called for attacks against the United States and its allies.”
“Since 2020, Saif al-Adel has been able to convince al-Batarfi of his strategic approach, focused on confronting Western states and their allies in Yemen — the Saudi-led coalition, the Aden-based government, the United Arab Emirates and its allies — rather than confronting the Iranian-backed Houthi movement,” a 2023 report by the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies said. Al-Adel is believed to be in Iran, part of a longtime al-Qaeda presence in the Islamic Republic. That’s long been denied by Tehran but backed up by documents seized in the 2011 US raid in Pakistan that killed bin Laden, who orchestrated the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US.
The Shiite Zaydi Houthis have previously denied working with AQAP, a Sunni extremist group. However, AQAP targeting of the Houthis has dropped in recent years while the terrorists continue to attack Saudi-led coalition forces.
Al-Batarfi, born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, traveled to Afghanistan in 1999 and fought alongside the Taliban during the US-led invasion. He joined AQAP in 2010 and led forces in taking over Yemen’s Abyan province, according to the US. In 2015, he was freed after an AQAP raid that saw the terrorists capture Mukalla, the capital of Yemen’s largest province, Hadramawt, amid the chaos of the war. A photo at the time showed al-Awlaki with a Kalashnikov rifle, posing inside a government palace there. AQAP was later pushed out of Mukalla but has continued attacks and been the target of a US drone strike campaign since the administration of then-president George W. Bush. In 2020, there had been claims that al-Bartafi had been detained, which later were denied. In 2021, he appeared in a video by the terror group and referred to the January 6 riot at the US Capitol as “only the tip of the iceberg of what will come to them, God willing.” Related: AQAP: 2023-08-11 Bangladeshi UN worker in Yemen freed by Al Qaeda branch AQAP: 2023-08-06 Lefty Mayor sentenced to 30 years for kiddie porn AQAP: 2023-06-12 Good Morning Related: Khalid Batarfi: 2021-02-06 U.N. Report Says Qaida's Leader in Yemen under Arrest Khalid Batarfi: 2018-10-19 US offers reward for Al Qaeda jihadi who urged attacks over Jerusalem embassy move Khalid Batarfi: 2018-01-25 Al-Qaeda leader who urged attacks on Jews and Americans put on US terror list Related: Qassim al-Rimi: 2020-05-19 US reveals Saudi mass shooter at naval base was linked to Al-Qaeda Qassim al-Rimi: 2020-03-02 Yemenis Seize Capital of Strategic al-Jawf as Saudi-led Mercenaries Retreat Qassim al-Rimi: 2020-02-24 AQAP confirms death of leader Qassim al-Rimi Related: Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki: 2016-08-18 Air Strikes Target al Qaeda in Yemen, Troops Capture Aden District Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki: 2016-04-01 Air Strikes Target al Qaeda in Yemen, Troops Capture Aden District | |||||||||
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Saudi reinforcements arrive in Aden, as tensions escalate within coalition |
2024-03-10 |
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] New military reinforcements have arrived in the city of Aden, which is under the control of the Saudi-led coalition in southern 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... This comes in light of the escalating tensions between factions funded by 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... and the UAE in Aden and the rest of the southern regions under the control of the coalition. Informed sources confirmed that more than 43 Saudi military vehicles arrived on Thursday in Ahwar area 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 Emirateafter 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 and were on their way to Aden. The military vehicles belonging to the Saudi-backed factions in Aden, "Dera al-Watan," were coming from the al-Wadiah crossing and are the second since February 25, according to the sources |
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Arabia |
Armed mercenary forces detain urgently needed fuel transports in occupied Abyan |
2023-12-03 |
![]() ...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 Emirateafter 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, southern 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... "The STC members have been preventing the passage of tracks loaded with crude oil coming from Shabwa province to the ’PetroMasila’ power station in Aden city for several days," local sources said. The sources explained that the armed elements did that in protest against the non-payment of their financial dues by the leaders of the STC factions for regional reasons. The armed elements in the rest of the points affiliated with the UAE-funded factions impose huge amounts of taxes and royalties on the tankers without any legal right to allow them to pass, according to the sources. The detention of fuel tankers, which portends an upcoming disaster in Aden Electricity, comes to pressure the STC to pay the armed elements’ financial dues for the past four months following the dismissal of 400 conscripts from several districts of Abyan. Related: Southern Transitional Council: 2023-11-03 Two members UAE-linked factions killed in ambush in Abyan province, Southern Yemen Southern Transitional Council: 2023-10-05 Commander of UAE-backed militia assassinated in Abyan Southern Transitional Council: 2023-09-18 UAE-backed factions impose military cordon on Ataq Related: Abyan: 2023-11-29 IEA rejects report US bombs left in Afghanistan being smuggled into Mexico Abyan: 2023-11-03 Two members UAE-linked factions killed in ambush in Abyan province, Southern Yemen Abyan: 2023-10-05 Commander of UAE-backed militia assassinated in Abyan Related: Shabwa province: 2022-01-27 Yemen gov't forces sweep through Marib in setback for rebels Shabwa province: 2022-01-17 Fierce Conflicts Erupt In Balhaf Gas Facility Shabwa province: 2022-01-11 Yemeni pro-govt forces say they have retaken Shabwa from Houthis Related: Aden: 2023-12-01 Somalia: Maritime police intensifies patrols after failed pirate hijacking Aden: 2023-11-28 US military detains pirates who attacked a tanker off the coast of Yemen, then Houthis shoot missiles at rescuers Aden: 2023-11-27 Another Israel-linked ship attacked off Yemeni coast, crew and ship ok after US Navy intervened |
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Arabia |
Two members UAE-linked factions killed in ambush in Abyan province, Southern Yemen |
2023-11-03 |
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Two members of the UAE-backed factions were killed on Thursday in an armed ambush in 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 Emirateafter 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, southern 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... Unidentified button men set up an armed ambush during which they targeted a military vehicle of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) factions with an bomb between the village of Surat al-Mashaykh and al-Baqira, as a result of which an officer in the factions and one of his This came after the killing of two children and a young man when STC’s members opened fire on citizens riding a car last Monday next to al-Hamina station in the al-Jabla area of the district, and then they fled. Ambushes by pro-Islah Party terrorist elements have targeted STC military vehicles with bombs, during which more than 520 members, including leaders, have been killed or maimed since the announcement of Operation "Siham al-Sharq" on August 21, 2022, until last August. |
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Terror Networks |
ISKP Goes Global: External Operations from Afghanistan |
2023-09-17 |
[WashingtonInstitute] Two decades after the 9/11 attacks, Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is once again becoming a haven for terrorist activities abroad—but this time by a local Islamic State branch. Over the past three decades, successive jihadist organizations have sought to conduct external operations beyond their local battlefields, often from safe havens abroad. The long list includes actors such as the Algerian Armed Islamic Group (when it hijacked Air La Belle France Flight 8969 in 1994), al-Qaeda (most infamously via the 9/11 attacks, but also through plots by local branches 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... , al-Shabaab |
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Arabia |
Death toll of STC crackdown on Aden protests estimated at 13 |
2023-08-25 |
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] A senior commander was maimed on Thursday when the factions of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) opened fire to disperse the angry protests in the center of the city of Aden, south of 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... Fouad Rashid, the head of the Supreme Council for the Revolutionary Movement or al-Harik al-Janoubi, confirmed in a post on "X" platform, that Sadiq Nasser Ahmed, the brother of the former Yemeni Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed who belongs to the 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 Emirateafter 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, was maimed during the protests in Aden. "The popular protests require the support of society in Aden with all its components until its simple demands to be achieved,"he added, noting that fear has been broken and the occupying ruler and the executioner will go together." An estimated 13 people were killed and maimed when by STC factions’ fire toward the angry protesters in Aden against the pro-coalition government due to the collapse of the economy and the deterioration of basic services, including electricity, which affected various life in the city. |
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United Nations denies paying ransom to Al-Qaeda for release of five employees from captivity | |
2023-08-14 | |
![]() ...the Oyster Bay money pit... reported that it had not paid a ransom for the release of a number of its employees who have been kidnapped by al-Qaeda since February of last year 2022, in 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 Emirateafter 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, southern 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... The United Nations Coordinator in Yemen, David Gresley, confirmed that no ransom was paid in order to release five UN employees who were kidnapped by al-Qaeda. "We at the United Nations do not pay the ransom, and this often leads to prolonged detention, because the hostage-takers have to understand that the ransom money will not come," Mr. David Gressly, the United Nations Resident Coordinator / Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, said in a statement on Saturday. Gressly added, "I will not go into details, but there are strenuous efforts made by many parties inside and outside the United Nations in order to work for their release," without giving further details about the release process. In the other hand, some sources stated that the mediator between Al Qaeda and the UAE acquired an amount of one million dollars in return for the efforts he made, and handed over an amount of 2 million dollars, which equals two billion seven hundred million riyals, according to the price of the dollar in Aden city. Reports noted that the UAE paid a ransom of $3 million to al-Qaeda for the release of the five employees of the UN. Political observers considered that the ransom paid by the UAE would be an indirect support to win the loyalty of terrorist groups in the Yemeni areas controlled by the coalition. | |
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