Vital Perspective

Su-Shi Watch: Yemen central gov vs Al-Houthis

Medialine reports:

Around 100 soldiers and rebels have been killed in fighting this week in
northern Yemen. This is the latest round of fighting between the central
government and the Al-Houthi-led Believing Youth movement. The rebels are
trying to establish an imamate (cleric-led) country and want to see the
overthrow of the existing government. Some 60 soldiers have been killed in the
past month and more than 700 since the Believing Youth was founded in 2004. The Al-Houthis are Shi’ites, while the central government in ‘Sana is Sunni
dominated.

BBC reports at least 80 Shia rebels killed and adds:

Yemen's president ordered a crackdown against rebels two weeks ago, accusing them of trying to oust his government and impose Shia religious law.

Yemeni Man Armed with Kalashnikov Opens Fire on U.S. Embassy in Yemen

A gunman armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle opened fire outside the U.S. Embassy in Yemen early Tuesday, but Yemeni guards quickly shot and arrested him, an Interior Ministry official said. The gunman told his interrogators that he wanted to kill Americans, a Yemeni military official said.

Immediately after the shooting, Yemen increased the security forces on guard outside the U.S. Embassy. Yemen has been the site of a number of major attacks by al-Qaeda in recent years, including the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, which killed 17 U.S. sailors. Osama bin Laden is of Yemeni origin.

The Yemeni government supports the U.S. campaign against international terrorism and has received U.S. military aid. But its crackdown has suffered a number of setbacks, such as the February prison escape of 23 convicts -- some of whom had been jailed for al-Qaeda-linked crimes.

Yemen, Saudi Arabia Arrest Dozens of Suspected Terrorists for Interrogation

Yemen has brought in 22 suspected al-Qaeda members accused of plotting attacks on Western targets in Yemen for questioning by a special anti-terrorist tribunal. "These elements form a dangerous terrorist cell. They were recruited by Fawaz al-Rabihi," a fugitive killed by security forces in October, a security source said on Sunday.

The security source said the suspects were linked to an aborted twin attack on September 15 on an oil refinery in the Marib and oil reservoirs in the southeast of Yemen. They also stand accused of planning attacks against "foreign and local installations and foreign residents in Yemen."

Not to be outdone, the official Saudi news agency reported today that authorities have arrested 136 suspected militants over the past three months, accusing some of plotting to carry out suicide attacks inside the kingdom. An interior ministry official said the suspects had been captured by security forces as part of an operation aimed at arresting militants of different nationalities in several Saudi cities.

Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said 115 of those arrested were Saudis. He would not confirm whether those arrested had links to al-Qaeda, but said they allegedly "believed in al-Qaeda ideology and had the same style of carrying out attacks."

Some of those arrested also were allegedly plotting to rob banks and carry out kidnapping operations. Weapons and different currencies also were seized, as well as communication devices and computers.

Draining the Swamp: Lackawanna Man Sentenced on Terror Related Charges

A leader in Buffalo's Arab-American community has been sentenced to five years in prison for running an unlicensed money-transfer business that sent $5 million to Yemen. Mohamed Albanna of Lackawanna arranged the transfers from his Buffalo cigarette and candy wholesale business from 1999 to 2002. U.S. Attorney Terrance Flynn says authorities could not rule out that money transferred from the business supported terrorism.

Albanna, along with a brother, Ali Taher Elbaneh, and nephew, Ali Albanna, were arrested in December 2002, in the wake of the arrests of the Lackawanna Six, a group of Yemeni-American men from Lackawanna who admitted to attending a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan in the months leading up to 9/11.

Yemen Vows to Strike al-Qaeda with 'Iron Fist' After Statement by Terrorists

The Yemeni government has vowed to strike with "an iron fist" after a recent Internet statement attributed to al-Qaeda in Yemen claimed responsibility for suicide attacks on oil facilities in the country and pledged more attacks. According to analysts, the statement is genuine, indicating the beginning of a new chapter of al-Qaeda activity in Yemen.

"The security forces will strike with an iron fist and would relentlessly deal with every terrorist who harms Yemen, its economy or interests," the state-run 26 September weekly quoted an unidentified official as saying. "The security organizations have taken all necessary precautions against any threats that could harm the country's security and stability," said the official.

The Internet statement claimed responsibility for the suicide attacks against two oil facilities in Hudhrmout and Marib, east of Yemen, on September 15 and vowed further attacks: "Those operations were only the first spark, and what is coming shall be harsher and bitter."

The statement raised many questions about al-Qaeda in Yemen. Abdul Elah Haider, writer and analyst, said the statement showed that al-Qaeda cells are regrouping and rebuilding. "The tone and the vocabulary of the statement are not different from those issued by al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, so I think the statement is genuine and credible."

Understanding 5,000 Years of Imperial History in the Middle East in 90 Seconds

Here's something interesting we found over at Evangelical Outpost. Ever wondered who has controlled the Middle East over the course of history? This great animation takes you through the last 5,000 years in just 90 seconds.

Yemeni PM to Ask Donor Conference for $48 Billion to Help GCC Membership

Yemeni PM Abdel Kader Bajammal says that his country needs $48 billion over a decade for upgrades in infrastructure, combating poverty and unemployment, and boosting education in order to catch up with oil-rich Gulf Arab economies.

Ministers from Yemen and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE discussed preparations for a Yemen donors' meeting slated for November 15 and 16 in London being held in cooperation with the World Bank in an effort to muster funds for development.

Yemeni planning and international cooperation minister Abdel Karim Al Arhabi was quoted last month as saying that Yemen would ask donors for $10 billion in aid over five years to help prepare it for GCC membership.

The only country in the Arabian Peninsula without direct access to the Gulf and its only republic, Yemen has for a decade been knocking at the GCC's door. The GCC partners, which forged their alliance in 1981, have been in no hurry to admit the poor country of some 20 million into their ranks. However, in December 2001, Yemen won GCC approval to join some of the bloc's councils - in the fields of education, social affairs, health, and sports.

Yemen Seeking $10 Billion in Aid to Prepare for Membership in Oil-Rich GCC

Yemen is to ask donors for $10 billion in aid over five years to help prepare for membership of the oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council, a government minister has said. Planning Minister Abdel Karim al-Arhabi told Al-Hayat on Monday that the appeal would be made at a donors' conference in London on November 15-16.

Arhabi said a total investment of $25 billion would be needed in the 2006-2010 plan to begin bringing Yemen up to the level of the six pro-Western oil states currently in the GCC, but that $15 billion would be provided from domestic sources.

Formed in 1981 in the midst of the Iran-Iraq war, the bloc currently consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Yemen, which has long had ambitions to join the bloc, has had observer status in the bloc's forums for education, social affairs, health and sport since December 2001.

Yemeni Forces Kill al-Qaeda Terrorists Involved in French Oil Tanker Bombing

On Sunday, Yemeni anti-terrorism forces killed Fawaz Yahya al-Rabeie, a suspected al-Qaeda member, who was convicted of an attack on a French oil tanker and escaped from prison earlier this year. The forces also killed another suspected al-Qaeda member, Mohammed al-Dailami, and arrested two other suspects. The two killed were among 23 convicts who escaped from prison in February.

Al-Rabeie, a Yemeni, had been sentenced to death for his involvement in the 2002 attack on the French oil tanker Limburg and for planning to kill the American ambassador to Yemen and bomb five Western embassies. Two suicide bombers rammed an explosive-laden boat into the Limburg, killing a Bulgarian crew member and spilling 90,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Aden — an operation similar to the attack on the USS Cole two years earlier.

Costa Rica Moves Embassy from J'lem, Resumes Relations with Arab States

Costa Rica has resumed diplomatic relations with Kuwait, Bahrain and Yemen after FM Bruno Stagno's Friday talks with his counterparts from the three Arab countries in New York. The diplomatic moves came after Costa Rica announced on August 16 that it would move its embassy in Israel from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.

During a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Stagno and Kuwaiti FM Sheikh Mohammad al-Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah also discussed UN reforms, the race for the next UN Secretary-General, and other issues. Sheikh Mohammad said Kuwait supports Costa Rica's bid for a seat on the Security Council for 2008-2009, and the political consultation mechanisms between Latin American nations and the 22-member Arab League.

Stagno also met with Syrian FM Walid al-Muallem iand exchanged views on resuming the diplomatic relations.