SANA'A: Al-Qaeda, a terror group which seeks to establish the return of the Islamic Caliphate over the Muslim world, is believed to have grown way beyond “containment security parameters”, posing a very real threat to Yemen's national hegemony within in its own territories. As Yemenis rose against President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the wake of President Hosni Mubaraks' resignation, hoping that they would too operate a change in regime by the sheer will of the people, the Islamic terror group saw in the unrest that follows a perfect opportunity. Aware that the regime was now concentrating its efforts in quelling the brewing rebellion, as it recalled most of its military forces back to the capital, Sana'a, where massive protests were being staged, the armed militants moved into position, ready to pounce on Yemen. A few months into the Revolution, al-Qaeda militants moved against the country southern provinces, knowing that their terrain and somewhat lawlessness would favor their advances. Yemen southern territories are highly tribal which on some levels preventing the central government to fully establish its authorities, creating a breeding ground for groups such al-Qaeda. Detractors to the regime, amongst whom most infamous defected General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a once upon a time ally of President Saleh, accused the latter of allowing the Islamic militants to roam the land as he claimed Yemen's decades' long ruler was trying to prove a point, establishing once and for all that only he could keep al-Qaeda at bay. President Saleh actually warned last year that with his departure al-Qaeda would soon move to the offensive, seizing several provinces and jeopardize the nation's very unity. Regardless of one's belief, his foretelling of Yemen's fall into darkness is materializing; striking fear at the heart of Yemenis. The Caliphates Seemingly, the elections which saw the appointment of Abdu Rabbo Mansour as Yemen's new President signaled the beginning of al-Qaeda widespread military campaign across the country southern regions with a surge in attacks of military bases and bomb attacks against government buildings and officials. In a matter of weeks the group had declared 2 Caliphates in Yemen, claiming the southern province of Abyan and Shabwa. Sources within the military and Yemen's CTU have told Bikiyamasr.com that the militants were now moving dangerously close to controlling the southeastern province of Hadramaut, one of Yemen's largest and natural resources rich regions. According to tribal leaders and local officials on Mukalla, al-Qaeda would have already spread out an impressive support network, warning that if the regional capital was to fall, nothing and no one would stop the militants from taking over and claiming control over the province. Last week pamphlets which were posted all over Mukalla warning that whoever would side with the regime would be considered a traitor to Islam and therefore killed, underscored the far reach of the group and new daring approach. The Central Security Forces talked of an estimated 300 Jihadists being present on the ground were currently training in the Azzan and Maifa'a directorates of the Shabwa governorate in preparation for an assault against Mukalla. If one bares in mind that 100 al-Qaeda fighters managed to slaughter their way through a reported 185 soldiers in Abyan last week, one can only imagine what tragedy could unfold if 300 were allowed to rain death on Mukalla. Popular Outcry Tens of thousands of Yemenis across the nation came out this Friday to denounce al-Qaeda's attacks and massacres in Dofes and al-Qud, urging President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi to exert the people's revenge and wash out the blood of the fallen. Yemen is mourning its braves, waking up to the harsh reality of terrorism which so far seemed to be a mere political tool, a myth without substance. Wounded in its flesh Yemen is now calling for a national strike against the group, with Yemenis across the political spectrum expressing their outrage and disgust. “We are very sad about what happened in the Dofes massacre,” said Mohamed Mohsen, 44, a government employee. “Al-Qaeda has gone way beyond the red line, taking advantage of [Yemen's current] military and political divide. The time has come for the state to take revenge for its men and restore stability to these areas, especially since there are thousands of displaced people from Abyan who are enduring hardship because of al-Qaeda's presence there.” Hamoud al-Hattar, former minister of endowments and guidance, told Bikyamasr.com that terrorist acts are contrary to Islamic law. “We condemn all terrorist acts that occurred after February 21st, including al-Qaeda's attack on the presidential palace in Mukalla and Sunday's incident in Dofes,” he said. “We called for the formation of a neutral commission of inquiry to investigate what happened, especially if there was dereliction on the part of members of the army.” Political Manipulation As the Joint Meeting Parties which regroup under one umbrella all political factions opposed to the General People's Congress aka the ruling party, interestingly expressed its condemnation of al-Qaeda's attack on Yemeni soil when loyalists to Saleh advanced the possibility of a war by proxy as al-Islah, Yemen's Islamic party they say would attempt “to raise hell and finish off the Republic” in order to attain power. The theory is that al-Islah most radical militants would be disguising themselves as al-Qaeda agents or possibly would have infiltrated al-Qaeda ranks as to draw the regime into an armed conflict, weaken the central government and pounce on the presidential seat asserting al-Ahmar rise to ultimate domination. Although some might categorize the conspiracy as border line delusional, one cannot draw away from the fact that certain figures amongst al-Islah have undeniable ties with the terror group. Names such Sheikh Abdel-Mageed al-Zindani and Sheikh al-Dhahab are all high ranking leaders of al-Islah and alleged terrorists according to the U.S. Saleh's loyalists also supported their allegations by pointing out to the facts that only the Republican Guards and the Central Security Forces, both under the control of Saleh's family members had been targeted so far, proof that al-Islah was trying to get rid of the competition. Who could save Yemen? But beyond political manipulation lays now the fate of a nation, with people looking towards Sana'a to find a strong military leader. With its armed forces in tatters and little to no unity, Yemen faces its toughest challenge yet. And while politicians from the opposition are clamoring for an immediate military restructuration, urging President Hadi to fulfill the terms of the power-transfer, the people are starting to wonder whether it would be wise to remove the very figures who could save the country from utter disaster. “Not that I necessarily agree with them or even know what they stand for politically, I would rather keep Ahmed Saleh [the Head of the Republican Guards and Saleh's eldest son] and Yehia Mohamed Saleh [the Head of the Central Security Forces and Saleh's nephew] than put Yemen's fate into the hands of others. At least they have been trained and are fully in control of their men. Who's to say that the soldiers would follow another leader? We don't need more problems. Hadi should postpone the restructuration until after al-Qaeda is destroyed,” said a University professor, Mohamed al-Ansi. So far the Americans and the Saudis have been in favor of keeping those 2 main figures of the regime as they represent strategic allies, directly going against the JMP's wishes as the latter seek to appoint their own loyalists. With alarming reports warning against al-Qaeda's plans to strike at the very heart of the Yemeni capital by targeting the U.S embassy and other state institutions, the government has raised the alarm to a maximum. Sources said that al-Qaeda cells in the areas of Zindan and Arhab have trained for operations involving the storming of fortified sites, attacking fixed and mobile targets while aboard vehicles and motorbikes, and that al-Qaeda militants have entered Sana'a in preparation for carrying out their attacks in the coming few days. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/lXIG1 Tags: Al Qaeda, Growing Threat, Yemen Section: Latest News, Op-ed, Yemen
