Israel army unveils new cyber defense unit - Xinhua

JERUSALEM, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli military offered Monday a peek into one of its most secretive bases, which houses a newly established unit tasked with defending its own networks against mounting attacks launched in cyberspace.

Teams of programmers and computer experts, aged 18 to 22, man the "Cyber War Room," situated at an undisclosed site in central Israel, where malicious cybernetic activities occurring worldwide are monitored around the clock.

Long gone are the days when cyber was the exclusive domain of computer "geeks" spending their nights and days hacking into data bases in the privacy of dimly-lit bedrooms. In the Israeli military, it has already received recognition as another dimension of warfare, alongside the bombers, ships and tank battalions.

"Cyber isn't just another means, but a dimension that exists all the time between and during wars," Brig. Gen. Ayala Hakim, commander of the Israeli Defense Forces's (IDF) Lotam Unit, which oversees cyberdefense operations, told Israel's Channel 10 during an interview Monday.

Israel is investing vast human and financial resources in defending against the immediate threat posed by computer network attacks launched daily on its strategic infrastructure, government ministries, military and intelligence community. The fear is that a major cyberattack could cripple the country's critical infrastructure, including utilities, banking and cellphone networks, among others.

To illustrate the scope of the phenomena, the government revealed it deflected a staggering 44 million attacks on its main online sites during a nine-day war with Islamist group Hamas in Gaza last November.

Last year, the IDF publicly acknowledged for the first time, in a post on its official blog, that it was engaged in both defensive and offensive cyberwarfare. On the defensive end, efforts are mainly focused on repelling attempts by enemy states, global militant networks and lone hackers from overseas to penetrate the military's computers, either for espionage or sabotage.

"The operations room enables us to monitor the great breadth of the Internet at a single focal point," explained the Israeli military official. "We look at what is happening to us via a proactive approach and by gathering open intelligence. We assess our situation."

Like other cyber units operating in Israel's defense institution, including in the intelligence community, the soldiers of the new Cyber War Room constantly seek to increase the nimbleness of their response to identify and prevent an attack, and exploit it to launch a counterattack.

E

Thousands rally for south Yemen secession on war anniversary

Source : Al Akhbar English

Thousands of people rallied in south Yemen on Sunday's 19th anniversary of the civil war that was won by the north to demand secession for the south.

"No union and no federation, no to the occupation!" the crowds chanted in the Hadramawt provincial capital of Mukalla, an AFP correspondent said.

They waved the flag of the former South Yemen and portraits of Hassan Baoum, head of the Southern Movement's supreme council.

In a statement, the protest organizers reaffirmed their rejection of a national dialogue under way in the capital Sanaa.

They demanded "negotiations... under Arab or international patronage, to discuss ways of ending the occupation of the south", it said.

In Aden, former capital of the south, shops were shuttered and offices closed on Sunday, witnesses said, as southerners marked the anniversary of the end of the war.

Witnesses said youths blocked some main roads with boulders, an action that was repeated in other towns across the south.

After the former North and South Yemen united in 1990, the south broke away in 1994, triggering a civil war that ended with the region being overrun by northern troops.

Southerners have complained of discrimination and being marginalized ever since.

The UN- backed national dialogue began on March 18 and is due to last six months.

It brings together 565 representatives from Yemen's various political groups, ranging from the southern secessionists to Zaidi rebels in the north, as well as civil society representatives.

(AFP, Al-Akhbar)

Roadside bomb kills three soldiers in Yemen

Source : Al Akhbar English

A roadside bomb in Yemen's capital Sanaa killed three soldiers and injured two others during a security patrol early on Saturday, a security official said.

The bomb was hidden in a plastic bag planted near a police checkpoint in Sanaa's al-Hasaba district, a center of opposition to former Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh who was ousted early last year.

The device detonated as the policemen opened the bag to check its contents, the official added.

The official, who requested anonymity, said it was unknown who carried out the attack.

Yemen is the poorest Arab state with a third of the population living on less than $2 a day. It faces a Shi'a uprising in the north, an Islamist insurgency in the south and east, a southern separatist movement and splits in the military.

Washington and Gulf Arab countries fear the impoverished state could disintegrate, allowing Islamist militants to operate freely.

Yemen, which borders top oil exporter Saudi Arabia and sits along the Red Sea crude shipment route, is already home to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The country is navigating an uncertain political transition after Saleh was deposed in early 2012, leading to the creation of a two-year interim government.

Yemen's politicians are currently taking part in a national dialogue aimed at paving the way for a new constitution and planned February 2014 general elections.

(Reuters, AFP, Al-Akhbar)

U.S. to provide Yemen with warplanes amid drone strike criticism

Source : Xinhua

SANAA, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The United States has agreed to give Yemen warplanes to fight al-Qaida militants amid calls by the public and international organizations for putting an end to U.S. intervention and drone strikes in the country, a senior military official said Saturday.

"The warplanes, about three, will be shipped to Yemen in the next few months," the official said on condition of anonymity, adding "Yemen sent to the United States earlier this year pilots for training in operating the warplanes, in an effort to stop depending on complete foreign assistance."

FREQUENT U.S. DRONES

Since 2009, the U.S. drones have carried out many operations targeting al-Qaida leaders and most wanted members. And since the 2011 political upheaval in the Arab country, the drone strikes increased and people in areas such as provinces of Abyan and Marib have complained of the dangers resulted by such strikes.

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said in 2012 during a trip to the United States that there was coordination between the two countries to fight terrorism under which he, as the transitional president, personally gave permission to use U.S. drones to target militants in Yemen.

Senior military officials said the Yemeni authorities are aware of all counterterrorism operations including drone strikes.

"All strikes are carried out through the coordination between the United States and Yemeni authorities including the Yemeni commander-in-chief's office, the operations room at the defense ministry and the Yemeni-U.S. security coordination office at the U. S. embassy in Sanaa," a military official said.

"(But still) it is impossible to believe that foreign warplanes are easily violating our airspace... It can't be like that even though Yemen does not have modern military equipment," the official added. U.S. INTERVENTION

Some international organizations, such as the Britain-based Reprieve, considered the U.S. drone strikes -- especially the misdirected ones that have killed dozens of innocents in recent years -- as part of illegal foreign intervention that affects Yemen's national security and social stability.

Cori Crider, the legal director at Reprieve, visited Yemen's national dialogue conference (NDC) in June, calling on the SANAA government to issue a law that criminalizes extrajudicial killings and violation of Yemen's airspace.

"Even though there were wanted and dangerous combatants, killings must be (conducted) according to the law," Bara'a Shaiban, a member of the NDC and coordinator for Reprieve in Sanaa said.

Shaiban said his team at the NDC has consensually made a decision on criminalizing extrajudicial and drone killings and they are struggling to ensure the new constitution will include provisions criminalizing foreign direct intervention.

"Yemen does not have advanced equipment to hunt militants at the moment and this is a key reason for the presence of U.S. drones in the country," another official at the air force said. " We can say -- and this is not justification -- that the United States is providing complete assistance to Yemen."

"Theoretically no one can deny that U.S. strikes may violate our country's sovereignty, but the Yemeni-U.S. counterterrorism cooperation deals are clear and what is going must take place according to them," he added.

Local researchers said Yemen has laws that prevent direct foreign intervention on its soil but there are key reasons behind overpassing such laws on the ground.

"When it comes to the war on terrorism, the United States and Europe ignore sovereignty and that is a problem which Yemen should focus on," Abdulsalam Muhammad, head of ABAAD center for strategic studies, said.

"The United States has carried out drone strikes in Yemen's eastern and southern regions in recent years and dozens of innocents were killed, which stirs public anger and could affect the bilateral relations between the two countries," he added.

Yemen Releases Activists Held since Saleh-Era

Source : Ahlul Bayt News Agency

The release came after 20 detainees began a hunger strike on May 24 in a bid to step up pressure to be freed, according to local rights group Hood.

Some of them are suspected of involvement in an attack on Saleh in June 2011 which killed 11 of his guards.

On Wednesday, state news agency Saba reported that the attorney general has ordered the release of 17 out of 22 people detained for their suspected involvement in the attack.

According to local rights groups, the 22 had been held in Sanaa, 19 in Hajja province, 11 in Saada in the north and six in several other prisons across the country.

During the 2011 uprising, which erupted as part of the Arab Spring wave of protests, demonstrators frequently clashed with security forces and partisans of Saleh.

Yemen's main oil export pipeline bombed: ministry

Source : Xinhua

SANAA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's main oil pipeline which carries crude from the Marib province to export terminal on the Red Sea was blown up Friday, the defense ministry said in a statement.

"Saboteurs on Friday dawn bombed the main oil pipeline in Serwah district in the northeastern province of Marib," the ministry said in the statement on its website.

Acts of sabotage on the oil pipeline and electricity grid in Marib have dramatically increased over the past few days, the statement said without elaborating further details.

Yemen's oil and gas pipelines, as well as the country's main electricity grid, have been frequently attacked almost every week since the eruption of protests against former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011.

Oil revenues make up more than 70 percent of the state budget, while oil and gas products account for over 90 percent of Yemen's exports.

Yemen's oil production rapidly declined from more than 400,000 barrels per day at the beginning of the past decade to the current 270,000 barrels per day.

Suspected Islamist gunmen assassinate Yemeni colonel

Source : LBCI News

Gunmen shot dead a senior Yemeni military intelligence officer who had been targeted for assassination by al Qaeda-linked militants, a local security official said.

Colonel Abdullah al-Rabaki was walking home in the city of Mukalla in Hadramawt Province late on Friday when the gunmen shot him six times with a revolver fitted with a silencer, the official said. They escaped on a motorbike.

Leaflets from Islamist militants allied to al Qaeda had previously been circulated in the city on Yemen's south coast, calling for Rabaki's assassination, the official said.

Tackling lawlessness in Yemen, which lies near important oil shipment routes and flanks the world's biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia, is an international priority for the United States and other Western countries. It is home to an al Qaeda wing that has planned international bomb plots.

More than 60 army and security officers have been assassinated in the country's southern provinces in the past two years as government forces attempt to wrestle back control of areas seized by militants during the chaos of the Arab Spring.

As well as battling an Islamist insurgency in the south, the government faces a southern separatist movement and a revolt among some tribes in the impoverished country's north.

Yemen investigates military jet crash

Source : Xinhua

SANAA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni government started on Wednesday to examine the wreckage of a fighter jet which crashed into the capital Sanaa two days ago, an Air Force official said.

Major Mahdi Al-Aidrous, director of the information center at the Air Force, said the authorities have collected the debris of the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-22 jet to investigate the cause of the crash.

"The black box was badly damaged, but we will do what we can to investigate," he said.

Yemen is a key buyer of Russian weapons. But most of its weapons, especially the aircraft, have become old.

"Our planes are old, but honestly this is not the problem," Al- Aidrous said, adding that the "real problem" is that Yemeni air force does not have necessary equipment or workshops to conduct comprehensive checks before each takeoff.

"We have highly skilled technicians, but we don't have a factory to fix problems of warplanes," he said. "When we find a problem of a plane, we send that warplane to the country which produced it."

The crash of a military jet on Monday was the third one that took place in Sanaa over the past six months. Most of those accidents were blamed on technical problems.

"When a military transport plane fell down in the capital in November (2012), we discovered that a fuel leak was behind the tragedy," he said. "Still, there is something missing which is the secret behind those technical failures."

The official said that the government should address those problems concerning the air force, including low budget and security problems in general.

Al-Aidrous said that he can't rule out the possibility of sabotage behind the latest crash. "People sometimes fire at warplanes," he said.

Early Wednesday, gunmen fired at a helicopter in Rada town in the southern province of al-Bayda. "A bullet penetrated the helicopter carrying teams of the national dialogue conference, but no one was hurt," he said.

In February, a Sukhoi jet crashed, killing several people and injuring more than a dozen. The accident was blamed on a technical problem.

Gunshots hit Yemeni military helicopter

Source : Xinhua

SANAA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A Yemeni military helicopter was shot by gunfire while it was en route from the capital Sanaa to the southern province of al- Bayda on Wednesday, the defence ministry said.

The chopper was carrying members of a national dialogue conference who are on field visits to al-Bayda.

Yemen launched the reconciliation dialogue between political parties in March, which is scheduled to run for six months to resolve prolonged political crisis, draft a new constitution and prepare for general elections in February 2014. The dialogue is part of a UN-backed power transfer deal that eased former President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power in 2012 following a yearlong of mass uprising.

"Three gunshots hit the helicopter in Radda town of al-Bayda but caused no technical fault. The plane landed properly in the province as the damage was repaired before it continues its journey," the ministry said in a statement on its website, citing an unnamed spokesman of the Air Force.

The ministry did not identify the gunmen.

Al-Bayda, about 200 km southeast of Sanaa, is one of a strong base for the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

The accident came two days after a Sukhoi jet exploded in the air and crashed in a residential neighborhood in Sanaa, killing its pilot. It was the third plane crash in six months in Sanaa.

Investigations into the plane crash were underway, said the officials.

2 killed in clashes between Yemeni troops, pro-secession activists

Source : Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and three others injured in armed clashes that erupted between Yemeni security troops and pro-secession activists in the southern port city of Aden on Wednesday, a police officer and witnesses told Xinhua.

"One soldier was killed and three others were wounded by gunfire after pro-secession gunmen attempted to block main roads in Aden's neighborhood of Cerater," the local police officer said anonymously.

Also in the same neighborhood in Aden, a secessionist activist was killed when security troops tried to intervene and remove roadblocks by firing live ammunition into the air, according to witnesses near the scene.

A local resident told Xinhua anonymously that "the situation is too bad, gunfire and armed confrontations are still going on across the Cerater neighborhood. Security troops were deployed.

The southerners complain of being economically and politically marginalized and discriminated against since northern troops won a four-month civil war in 1994.

Supporters of pro-secession Southern Movement staged almost daily rallies to protest against the national reconciliation dialogue, which was launched in March by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, as part of a UN-backed political settlement to preserve the Yemeni unity.

The talks, which set to run for six months, aimed to end split between northern and southern regions, draft a new constitution and pave the way for general elections by the end of Hadi's two- year interim period in February 2014.

However, some leaders of the Southern Movement refused to join the talks, insisting that the Sanaa government should withdraw its troops from the south.

Released Finnish hostages in Yemen return home

Source : Globaltimes.cn

The Finnish couple who were held hostage in Yemen for 140 days returned home late Friday, Finnish media reported.

The couple and their Austrian friend, who had studied Arabic language in a school in Sanaa, were kidnapped by al-Qaida militants from a busy street in the Yemeni capital on Dec. 21, 2012.

The three persons received medical examinations in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday and were in good condition, according to Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE.

A statement made by the Finnish married couple, Atte and Leila Kaleva, said "It's good to be back in Finland. We were treated well during the time we were held. The food and water were good and we received medicine as needed."

A senior Yemeni official who asked not to be named told Xinhua earlier the couple and the Austrian man, 26-year-old Dominik Neubauer, were released Wednesday night through mediation of the Omani government and the Yemeni tribe.

The official also said "a large amount of ransom, about millions of US dollars, has been paid to the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in return of releasing the hostages."

Denying any payment, Teemu Turunen, an official with the foreign ministry has said "the most important thing is that Finland has paid nothing."

Gunmen kill 3 Yemeni pilots in drive-by shooting

Source : Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Three military pilots of the Yemeni air forces were shot dead by suspected al-Qaida gunmen in the restive southern province of Lahj on Wednesday morning, a government official told Xinhua.

Two al-Qaida gunmen on a motorbike opened fire on a car that carrying the three military pilots to workplace at the Anad air base, the local government official said on condition of anonymity, adding that the three pilots were shot dead at the scene.

"All the three victims were high-ranking officers of the air force and working at the Anad military air base located in Lahj province," the government source said.

The assailants managed to flee the scene after conducting the drive-by shooting.

Yemeni security services have repeatedly blamed militants of the Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot for a series of assassination attacks, mostly in the country's southern regions.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which emerged in January 2009, is considered the most strategic threat to the Yemeni government and its neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.

The AQAP underscores the challenges faced by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who came to power after winning support from major Yemeni political forces, the United States and Saudi Arabia in February 2012.

Hadi is tasked with restoring security and stability to Yemen and putting an end to growing influence of al-Qaida that also threatens daily oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Editor: Yang Yi

Yemeni army is cracking down on human trafficking

Source : Yemen Post

After rights groups and NGOs expressed their growing concerns over illegal smuggling activities in Yemen, warning traffickers were using a lapse in security to run profitable criminal rings, the government has sough to address the situation by appointing more men on the ground. Earlier this month at a conference in Geneva, UNHCR spokesperson, Adrian Edwards painted a grim picture to his audience "Yemen is frequently used as a transit point by Ethiopians looking to travel to the Gulf States and beyond. Few Ethiopians decide to seek asylum. There are many reports of mistreatment, abuse, or torture among people who make the journey by smugglers boats. Conflict and instability in Yemen have limited the ability of the authorities to address trafficking, particularly along the Red Sea coast where Yemeni smugglers and traffickers are often waiting to receive new arrivals from the Horn of Africa." For the past two years, slavery and human trafficking have been rife in the impoverished nation, putting the coalition government in a difficult situation as its resources and men are already stretch pretty thin. However, months of careful planning and strong political will are eventually bearing fruits. Several military units have been sent to crackdown against smugglers in the northern town of Haradh, a village which was first identified as a traffickers' hub in 2012. As stated by Medecin Sans Frontieres a reported 1620 migrants including women and children have been freed in the last four weeks. Many bore the marks of torture. “There are clear signs of extreme violence. Fingernails have been pulled out and many are badly beaten. We welcome this clampdown, but there are almost certainly thousands more migrants in captivity, and for those released, welcome centers and humanitarian NGOs are seriously overstretched,” Tarek Daher, MSF’s head of mission in Yemen, told the press.

2 southern leaders quit Yemen's national dialogue

Source : Xinhua

SANAA/ADEN, Yemen, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Two leaders of Yemen's Southern Movement announced Saturday that they would quit the ongoing national dialogue as the talks failed to reach any consensus or solutions to the secessionist issue.

"Our agenda and views were marginalized and the outcome of the ongoing dialogue will not reflect the real demand of southerners for self-determination," Ahmed bin Farid al-Suraimah, head of the committee responsible for the southern issue in the national dialogue conference (NDC), said in a statement.

Ali Ba-Odah, another pro-secession leader of the Southern Movement, also announced his withdrawal from the talks, which started on March 18 and is scheduled to run for six months.

"Withdrawal of al-Suraimah and Ba-Odah has a significant impact, but the committee of the southern issue is continuing its field work," NDC Secretary General Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak was quoted by the official Saba news agency as saying.

"Everyone knows that I sent a letter to President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi and to the presidency of the conference on April 19, in which I demanded that this dialogue should tackle the southern issue and recognize the right of southerners on self-determination, " al-Suraimah said.

Some representatives in the southern issue committee will not attend any upcoming sessions of the national dialogue in protest against the withdrawal of al-Suraimah, sources from the secessionist movement told Xinhua anonymously.

The ongoing national dialogue aims to end the split between northern and southern regions, draft a new constitution and pave the way for general elections by the end of Hadi's two-year interim term in February 2014.

However, some leaders of the Southern Movement refused to join the talks, insisting that the Sanaa government should withdraw its troops from the south first.

The roots of the southern issue date back to 1994 when the civil war between the north and the south started, four years after they united in 1990. The southerners complain of being economically and politically marginalized and discriminated against since the northern troops won the four-month war.

Exclusive- 8500 more Turkish-made arms from Turkey to Yemen captured

Source : islamicinvitationturkey.com

8500 more arms from Turkey to Yemen captured Security guard police of Bab Al Mandeb Starit in South Yemen Taiz Province seized 8500 arms in a fishing ship named Al- Jalea coming from African Horn countries. Turkish made arms were packed in 200 boxes and were on the way to Yemen

Yemen blames al-Qaeda for troop deaths

Source : Trend.Az

Suspected Al-Qaeda fighters have killed five Yemeni soldiers in an attack on a checkpoint southeast of Sanaa, according to an official, while two assailants have reportedly been killed, Aljazeera reported.

The attack on Saturday targeted an army checkpoint in the district of Rada, where the interior ministry said it had mounted security measures late on Friday following intelligence about possible attacks by al-Qaeda fighters.

Five soldiers were killed and several others were wounded in the attack, the local government official told AFP news agency, adding that some assailants were also killed.

The Sep.net news website, which is linked to the defence ministry, said two armed men died in the exchange of fire.

In other unrest, unidentified assailants suspected of being al-Qaeda fighters shot dead an army intelligence local chief in the southern city of Mukalla, a security official said.

Two armed men on a motorbike opened fire on Brigadier-General Ali Ahmed Abdelrazzaq outside his home in the coastal city, the official said.

Al-Qaeda loyalists seized large swathes of south and east Yemen in 2011, taking advantage of a decline in central government control during an 11-month uprising that forced veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power in 2012.

Government forces have since recaptured much of the territory with support from US drone strikes, but the fighters retain bases in the desert east.

Meanwhile, thousands of separatists in south Yemen demonstrated in Aden to commemorate the 1994 war which ended with northern forces overrunning the south ending a secession attempt against the republic that was unified in 1990.

Al-Qaida gunmen assassinate military intelligence official in Yemen

Source : Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Masked gunmen of the Yemen- based al- Qaida offshoot shot dead a high-ranking military intelligence official in the southeastern province of Hadramout on Saturday, a government official told Xinhua.

About two masked gunmen riding a motorbike fired at Colonel Ahmed Abdul-Razzak, director of the military intelligence department in Hadramout province, the local government official said on condition of anonymity.

"Criminals of the al-Qaida terrorist group committed a criminal act and assassinated Col. Abdul-Razzak on a main road near his home in the coastal town of Mukalla," the government source said.

Yemeni security services have repeatedly blamed militants of the Yemen- based al-Qaida offshoot for a series of assassination attacks, mostly in the country's southern regions.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which emerged in January 2009, is considered the most strategic threat to the Yemeni government and its neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.

The AQAP underscores the challenges faced by Yemeni President Abd- Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who came to power after winning support from major Yemeni political forces in February 2012.

Hadi is tasked with restoring security and stability to Yemen and putting an end to the growing influence of al-Qaida that also threatens daily oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Al-Qaida attack foiled in SE Yemen

Source : Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's security authorities foiled an al- Qaida terrorist plot in the southeastern province of Hadramout on Wednesday, a government official told Xinhua.

Two al-Qaida members were captured while they were attempting to blow up a police center in Mukalla city, Hadramout's provincial capital, the local government official said on condition of anonymity.

"Security officers received an intelligence tip that some al- Qaida suspects were planning to detonate an explosive device near a police center in Mukalla," the source said.

Earlier this week, a U.S. drone strike killed at least two al- Qaida militants and injured several others in a raid on a house of suspected militants outside Wadi Abida in central Marib, some 170 km northeast of the capital Sanaa.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which emerged in January 2009, is considered the most strategic threat to the Yemeni government and its neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.

The AQAP underscores the challenges faced by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who came to power last February after winning support from major Yemeni political forces, the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Hadi is tasked with restoring security and stability to Yemen and putting an end to growing influence of al-Qaida that also threatens daily oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Yemen court sentences 11 al-Qaida militants

Source : Yahoo!

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A Yemeni court has sentenced 11 alleged al-Qaida militants to up to 10 years in prison for forming armed gangs to destabilize the country and planning attacks on foreign embassies as well as army and security forces.

Ahmed al-Hababi, one of the defendants, threatened to kill the judge, shouting in the courtroom, "we will teach you a lesson and we will drag you on the ground." Two others raised al-Qaida's flag inside the defendants' cage in the court in Sanaa. Still others shouted "God is great" in Arabic.

Also on Tuesday, a court in Aden began trying nine Yemenis — one in absentia — who were arrested in January in the country's territorial waters trying to smuggle Iranian-made weapons on a ship. The trial was adjourned until April 30.

US drone strike kills two alleged al-Qaeda members in Yemen

Source : Al Akhbar English

Two men suspected of being al-Qaeda members were killed on Sunday in a US drone strike on a site allegedly used for training members of the Islamist network in central Yemen, a security official and witnesses said.

The raid targeted a house in Wadi Abida, in the central province of Marib, where the two unnamed militants were killed, the official said, requesting anonymity. He added that a weapons cache was destroyed on the site.

Yemeni officials often claim al-Qaeda militants have been struck by airstrikes, but this is difficult to independently verify.

Witnesses said an unmanned drone conducted the air raid, just like in most US air strikes that target al-Qaeda suspects in the Yemen. The reported strike was the second in less than a week against suspected members of al-Qaeda.

The United States does not usually comment on strikes by its pilotless aircraft in Yemen. The Yemeni government tolerates such strikes but also usually does not comment on the US role in specific incidents.

Last week, an al-Qaeda leader and four militants were killed in a US drone strike on their vehicle south of Yemen's capital Sanaa.

In January, Yemeni sources said a US drone killed at least six suspected al-Qaeda members in a strike on their vehicle in northern Yemen.

Washington has stepped up attacks on al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – considered by Western governments to be one of the most dangerous arms of the global militant network.

The group took advantage of widespread anti-government protests in 2011 to seize swathes of territory in the southern part of Yemen, before being driven back in a US-backed offensive in June last year.

US drones strikes in the impoverished Arab country nearly tripled in 2012 compared with 2011, from 18 to 53, according to the New America Foundation, a Washington-based think-tank.

In February, the White House defended drone strikes against al-Qaeda suspects, calling them legal, ethical and wise and insisting that they complied with US law and the constitution.

However, Yemeni tribesmen have taken to the streets in the past to denounce the killing of innocent civilians by drones.

(Reuters, AFP, Al-Akhbar)

Al-Qaida kills 2 Yemeni soldiers in revenge attack

Source : Xinhua

SANAA, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Al-Qaida militants raided a military checkpoint in Yemen's central province of Marib on Sunday, killing two soldiers and injuring seven others in an apparent retaliation to a U.S. drone strike earlier in the day, a government security report said.

"Five al-Qaida gunmen on board a car carried out a surprise attack on a military checkpoint of the 3rd Infantry Brigade in a road close to the earlier drone strike site, killing two soldiers and wounding seven others," said the report issued by the interior ministry.

"The attack took place in the afternoon in an apparent revenge to the earlier drone strike. The 3rd Infantry Brigade sent reinforcement one hour later and fired heavily toward farms in the edge of Wadi Abida area, where the militants are believed to hide in," it said.

Earlier in the day, a U.S. drone strike killed at least two militants and injured several others in a raid on a house of the suspected militants outside Wadi Abida in central Marib, some 170 km northeast of the capital Sanaa.

The air strike was the second in less than a week after another U.S. drone attack killed five militants in the nearby southern province of Dhamar on Wednesday, according to the Yemeni government officials.

Dozens of al-Qaida members have been killed in such airstrikes since Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012, after a year-long unrest weakened the control of the central government and allowed the militants to take over swaths of territory in the south. The Yemeni government managed to recapture several of those southern cities in May 2012.

On Jan. 23, a U.S. drone strike targeting armed militants mistakenly hit a house of civilians in Yemen's southeastern province of al-Bayda, killing two children, according to Yemeni officials.

Guantanamo inmate relatives protest in Yemen

Source :  Al Akhbar English

Activists and relatives of around 90 Yemeni detainees held in Guantanamo Bay protested outside the US Embassy in Sanaa on Monday to demand the prisoners' release after more than a decade in detention.

Yemenis make up the largest contingent of the 166 detainees held at the US naval base in Cuba. Most were detained in Afghanistan following the 2001 US invasion.

Rights activist and protester Abdel-Rahman Barman said conditions at the prison are "very poor" and that at least two of the men there are on hunger strike.

They are among some 33 prisoners whom the US military says went on hunger strike, including three who were hospitalized for dehydration.

The prisoners say that they have been denied water and that the air conditioning was being kept frigid to punish them during a hunger strike. The military disputes the claims and says prisoners are also offered bottled water.

The largest of Guantanamo's hunger strikes began in the summer of 2005 and reached a peak of around 131 prisoners, when the facility held about 500 detainees. The US military broke the protest by strapping detainees down and force-feeding them a liquid nutrient mix to prevent them from starving themselves to death.

An embassy employee was seen accepting a letter from relatives of the detainees who protested on Monday. The embassy could not immediately be reached for comment.

The latest hunger strike began on February 6. It was prompted by what the prisoners considered more intrusive searches of their cells and of the Qurans that each man is issued by the government, as well as the more general complaint of their open-ended confinement without charge.

The International Committee of the Red Cross sent a delegation to Guantanamo in late March, but its observations on the living conditions of the hunger strikers have not been made public so far.

Seven apparent suicides have taken place at the prison. The latest was a 32 -year-old Yemeni in September who had been held there for around 10 years. Two others were determined to have died from natural causes.

Yemen's government has requested its nationals in Guantanamo Bay prison be sent to Sanaa, and has suggested rehabilitating the detainees if they disavow militancy – a policy used with dozens of Saudis who were repatriated to their country.

Washington argues that Yemen, where al-Qaeda is active, is too unstable to prevent former prisoners from engaging in militant activities.

President Barack Obama had pledged to shutter the prison at Guantanamo soon after taking office but Congress opposed it, passing a law that prohibits the government from transferring Guantanamo prisoners to US soil and requiring security guarantees before they can be sent elsewhere in the world

Gunmen kill security officer in southeast Yemen

Source  :  Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Unknown gunmen killed a security officer in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout Monday night, a military official told Xinhua.

Two masked terrorists riding a motorbike intercepted the car carrying the security officer who was on his way home in Ghail Bawazir region in Hadramout province. They gunned him down before fleeing the scene, the local military official said on condition of anonymity.

The officer was pronounced dead shortly after he was sent to a nearby hospital, he added.

The attackers who managed to escape have not yet been identified, but such attacks, increasingly frequent recently, have in the past been carried out by al-Qaida militants.

In January 2009, al-Qaida affiliates in Saudi Arabia and Yemen officially merged and formed Al- Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP). The group, mainly entrenching itself in Yemen's southern provinces of Abyan and Shabwa, is on the terrorist list of the United States, which considers it as an increasing threat to its national security.

The AQAP underscores the challenges faced by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi who won support from major Yemeni political forces, the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Hadi is tasked with restoring security and stability to Yemen and putting an end to the growing influence of al-Qaida that threatens daily oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

2 soldiers killed in attack on army checkpoint in S Yemen

Source  :  Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Three secessionists attacked an army checkpoint in Yemen's southern province of al-Dhalea on Tuesday, killing at least two soldiers, a police source and some local residents told Xinhua.

The pro-secession gunmen attacked a key checkpoint in a eastern suburb of al-Dhalea province and tried to take control of it, killing at least two soldiers at the scene, the source said on condition of anonymity.

Also, some local residents told Xinhua that the attackers, riding two motorbikes, threw two grenades toward the soldiers at the checkpoint and then fled.

Army reinforcements were later deployed around the military site, according to witnesses.

Last week, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi started a national dialogue to end the country's prolonged political crisis.

The talks aimed to end separatist movement in the south in order to preserve unity, draft a new constitution and pave the way for the parliamentary and presidential elections set for February 2014.

However, leaders of the separatist Southern Movement refused to join the talks, insisting that the government troops should withdraw from the south.

Al-Qaeda kidnaps Intelligence officer-

Source : Yemen Post

Al-Qaeda stroke again this Sunday when it kidnapped Brig. Khaled Masood, a military intelligence officer based in Mudiya, a city of the southern province of Abyan. Local officials confirmed on Sunday Brig. Massod was targeted by the terror group while he was still at his residence. "The al-Qaeda suspects who were armed with assault rifles raided the officer's house and took him to unknown location," a government source said. Security officers have now set out to track down the terror militants to free their colleague. Confrontations in Abyan in between the government and al-Qaeda militants have intensified over the past weeks with reports of attacks on al-Qafr and Maraksha on Friday and Saturday against pro-government militias. Restive Abyan continues to pose the state a serious challenge with Islamic militants successfully managing to fall back on their positions, weaken but never completely beaten. Even the use of tribal militias loyal to the central government did not drive away terrorists from the region. With President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi determined to militarily run down al-Qaeda militants with the U.S. military support, security analysts advance an alternative approach could prove better suited. Bruno S. Frey, Simon Luechinger from the Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, University of Zurich suggests an alternative counter-terrorism strategy in which "terrorist acts may be diminished by reducing the expected benefits of terrorist acts to the terrorists instead of raising the costs, through decentralization." "We have made the case [Decentralization as a disincentive for terror, European Journal of Political Economy] that strengthening decentralized decision-making may provide an effective disincentive against terrorist attacks. Political economy predicts, however, that a deterrence policy based on increasing the MC of terrorists will tend to be favored by governments, because it visibly demonstrates politicians’ determination to fight terrorism. In contrast, seeing and conserving the value of decentralization has more the character of a public good whose maintenance is not directly attributed to the government in power. The disincentive for terror increases the importance of safeguarding political and economic decentralization at the constitutional level."

Yemeni security forces clash with secessionists in Aden, 5 injured

Source   :   Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni security forces clashed with pro- secession protesters in the southern port city of Aden on Saturday, leaving five people injured, a government official told Xinhua.

The clashes erupted when hundreds of pro-secession demonstrators staged an anti-government protest in Aden's neighborhood of Mansoura, the local government official said on condition of anonymity, confirming that five were seriously injured.

"Soldiers guarding the police headquarters in Mansoura fired teargas to disperse dozens of secessionist protesters who were hurling stones at the guards," the source said.

Local residents said army and security reinforcements have intensified in the area to prevent the protesters from attacking the police centers and government buildings.

Last Monday, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi launched a national dialogue aimed at ending separatist movement in the south, creating a new constitution and paving the way for holding parliamentary and presidential elections in February 2014 after a two-year transition.

However, leaders of the separatist Southern Movement refused to join the talks, insisting that the Sanaa government should withdraw northern troops from the south.

In Aden, tens of thousands of the pro-secession Southern Movement rallied on Monday to call for their regions to be seceded from the north part.

The southerners complain of being economically and politically marginalized and discriminated against by the former regime since northern troops won a four-month civil war in 1994.

Hadi has repeatedly called for separatist groups in Aden and other major southern cities to join the talks, and promised compensation and settlement to the southerners.

3 pro-secession activists killed in fresh clashes with Yemeni police

Source :   Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, March 13 (Xinhua) -- At least three activists of a secessionist movement were killed and 10 others injured in fresh clashes with police troops in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Wednesday, a security official told Xinhua.

The police troops opened fire and attempted to disperse hundreds of secessionist demonstrators in Aden's neighborhood of Mansoura, leaving at least three people killed and 10 others injured, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"The pro-secession activists blocked main roads with rocks and burned tires cross the Mansoura district after a protest rally," the security source said.

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has called for separatist groups in the country's southern regions to take part in a planned reconciliation national dialogue to settle disputes and promised to compensate them.

Separatist sentiment escalated after a four-month civil war in 1994. Southerners complain of being economically and politically marginalized and discriminated.

Hadi announced that the government will hold the national dialogue on March 18 to solve disputes among political factions and pave the way for amending the constitution and preparing for presidential elections in 2014.

10 al-Qaida members captured in southern Yemen

Source : Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's pro-government militiamen raided a terrorist cell and captured 10 al-Qaida members on Sunday in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, a tribal chief told Xinhua.

The militiamen destroyed an al-Qaida terrorist cell that was operating in Abyan's Jaar town and planning armed attacks against army posts in the region, the local tribal chief said on condition of anonymity.

"Our tribal fighters stormed an al-Qaida-held site in Jaar town and seized 10 terrorists along with three improvised explosive devices," the tribal source said.

Two of the al-Qaida members were behind an armed attack that targeted a post run by pro-government militiamen last week, according to the tribal chief.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, known locally as Ansar al- Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), took advantage of a political upheaval in 2011 in Yemen to take over several towns of the southern restive regions.

The militants were targeted by Yemeni security authorities after a U.S.- backed offensive launched in Abyan province months ago routed the militants out of their strongholds they had controlled for nearly one year.

The Yemeni government has beefed up anti-terror operation since Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.

3 al-Qaida members escape from prison in southern Yemen

Source :  Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, March 6 (Xinhua) -- At least three members of the Yemen- based al-Qaida branch escaped from an intelligence jail in the southern province of Abyan on Wednesday evening, a security official told Xinhua.

Three al-Qaida inmates escaped from the military intelligence jail in Mudiyah town in Abyan province, after a short shootout with guards at the prison, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"An armed squad of terrorists attacked security guards at the main gate of Mudiyah prison, sparking a short shootout in the area, " the security source said, adding that the three al-Qaida inmates staged the getaway amid the clashes.

A local intelligence source confirmed Wednesday's prison escape but declined to give more details.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, known locally as Ansar al- Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), took advantage of a political upheaval in 2011 in Yemen to take over several towns of the southern restive regions.

The militants were targeted by Yemeni security authorities after a U.S.- backed offensive launched in Abyan province months ago routed the militants out of their strongholds that they had been control of for nearly a year.

The Yemeni government has beefed up anti-terror operation since Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.

Yemen may refer separatists to international court: president

Source : Xinhua

SANAA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni government could pursue separatist leaders at the International Criminal Court if they attempt to impede the political reconciliation process in the country, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said Saturday.

"Any party, whether inside the country or abroad trying to hinder the political reconciliation process in Yemen, will be sued at the International Criminal Court in accordance with the United Nations resolutions," the state Saba news agency quoted Hadi as saying at a government meeting in Aden, Yemen's southern port city, a key stronghold of armed separatist groups.

"We will not allow anyone to harm the security and stability of Aden... and the money spent on anarchists and outlaws is dirty, aiming to destabilize the region and we will prosecute those who are behind it," Hadi said.

Aden has witnessed weeks-long deadly clashes between security forces and activists of the secessionist Southern Movement who insist the breakup of Yemen after 23 years of unity between the south and north.

At least one activist was killed and several others were wounded in fresh clashes on Saturday, bringing the death toll to more than 11 since confrontations erupted on Feb. 21, the first anniversary of Hadi's victory in the presidential election after Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to step down as a result of the uprising in 2011.

Hadi began his visit to Aden on Feb. 23, the first trip since he took office last year, after clashes escalated in recent days.

He has called for separatist groups in Aden and other major southern cities to take part in a planned reconciliation national dialogue set for March 18, and has promised compensation and settlement to the southerners.

Separatist sentiment escalated after northern troops won a four- month civil war in 1994. Southerners complain of being economically and politically marginalized and discriminated agai

Yemeni al-Qaida posts new issue of online magazine

Source : APA

Baku-APA.Yemen's al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula — considered to be the network's most dangerous branch — is urging for holy war in a new edition English-language magazine, APA reports quoting Associated Press.

The edition appeared on militant websites Thursday after an almost nine mo The magazine's former editor, American Samir Khan, was killed in a U.S. dro September 2011 in Yemen, together with the U.S.-born militant cleric Anwar The magazine's new editor, Yahia Ibrahim, praised the two slain al-Qaida fig "team whose martyrdom inspires" others.

The new edition includes excerpts from an interview with al-Qaida's America Adam Gadahn, who uses the name "Azzam the American." He urges militants to continue fighting America and other NATO members to them economically and militarily.

Yemen's president visits south amid clashes

Source :   Al Akhbar English

Yemen witnesses spate of deadly protests Yemeni troops shot dead at least two southern separatist in clashes that erupted in Aden on Saturday when activists blocked roads in a campaign of "civil disobedience" to protest the killing of six... Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi paid a surprise visit to Aden on Sunday as clashes raged between police and southern pro- secessionist protesters amid calls for civil disobedience.

Hadi was in Aden on an "inspection visit," his first since becoming president in February 2012, and was scheduled to meet local officials and military leaders, the state news agency Saba reported.

A security official in Aden told AFP that Hadi was visiting to "closely check the situation in Aden following the unrest."

Protests have intensified in south Yemen since police and soldiers opened fire on unarmed demonstrators Thursday, killing five. They were marking the first anniversary of the ouster of former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Witnesses said pro-separatists demonstrators on Sunday clashed with security forces in the southeastern city of Mukalla after they blocked roads with burning tires and rocks.

"The army is using live ammunition against protesters," said Nasser Baqazquz, an activist from the separatist group.

In Aden itself, protesters blocked roads in the neighborhoods of Mansura, Sheikh Osman and Dar Saad, witnesses said, but no clashes were reported.

Two protesters and a policeman died when clashes erupted in the south, including Aden, on Saturday, security officials and medics said.

Also on Saturday, in the city of Sayun in the eastern province of Hadramawt, protesters trying to enforce a program of civil disobedience set a northern Yemen merchant on fire, leaving him in critical condition, witnesses said. The man is in intensive care, a medical source told AFP.

The protesters also Saturday attacked shops in Mukalla owned by northerners, and burnt down two offices belonging to the Islamist al- Islah Party, which backs Hadi, witnesses said.

The party issued a statement protesting the attacks on its southern offices and urged its members to "exercise restraint."

South Yemen broke away in 1994, sparking a civil war, before it was overrun by northern troops.

The Southern Movement has been divided over participating in Yemen's national dialogue.

All its wings had agreed to join the UN-backed talks except for a faction led by exiled leader Salem Baid which insists on full independence for the south, whose residents complain of discrimination by the Sanaa government.

The conference, originally set for mid-November, has been repeatedly delayed, mainly due to differences with the southerners. It is now set for March 18.

(AFP, Al-Akhbar)

Yemen troops shoot dead separatist in Aden clashes

Source : The Daily Star

ADEN, Yemen: Yemeni troops shot dead a southern separatist on Saturday in clashes that erupted when activists blocked roads during a protest in the main port city of Aden, medics and activists said.

"One man was killed and two others were wounded by gunfire," a medic at Aden's Al- Naqib hospital told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Activists from the separatist Southern Movement confirmed the victims belonged to their group which calls for autonomy or the complete independence of the south.

Yemeni forces shoot dead four protesters in south

Source : Al Akhbar English

Soldiers and police shot dead at least four pro-secessionist protesters and wounded over a dozen others in southern Yemen Thursday where thousands had taken to the streets to mark the anniversary of the ouster of former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh, local media reported.

The country’s online news site Aden al-Ghad identified one of the victims as Bakil Ali Sa’id. Witnesses told the site that snipers from the rival Islah movement had also opened fire on demonstrators, wounding several.

The Sada Aden News Network identified another victim as Abdallah al- Amoudi. The identities of the other two victims remain unknown.

Security forces shot at them during anti-government rallies in the Krayter district of the port city of Aden.

Amateur video posted online showed an armored military vehicle driving slowly past one of the protest sites before abruptly stopping. A few seconds later several soldiers climbed out of the vehicle and opened fire on the unarmed protesters.

Yemen frees Dutch kidnap victim

Source : Voice of Russia

Yemeni authorities have freed a Dutch man held captive for a week after being kidnapped by tribesmen in the country's west, the interior ministry announced on Sunday.

"Security forces freed a Dutch man kidnapped a week ago by tribesmen between the towns of Hard in Hajja province and Al- Zaidiya in Hodeida province," the ministry said in a statement on defence ministry news website 26sep.net.

"The man was taken to Sanaa and is in good health," it added.

The foreign ministry in The Netherlands said it had been informed of the possible kidnap of one of its citizens in Yemen, but without providing confirmation.

"Until now, it appears that the alleged victim was not kidnapped," ministry spokesman Christophe Kamp told AFP, adding that his country was in contact with the man's family and authorities in Sanaa.

Hundreds of people have been abducted in Yemen over the past 15 years, with almost all later released unharmed.

The authorities are still trying to free two Finns and an Austrian snatched from central Sanaa late last year, however.

The Austrian man and Finnish man and woman were abducted on December 21 as they prepared to travel to the southern port of Aden via Yemen's second city Taez.

Last month, Yemeni security officials said the three were being held by Al-Qaeda-linked tribesmen in the eastern province of Marib.

Most kidnappings of foreigners in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state are carried out by members of the country's powerful tribes who use them as bargaining chips in disputes with the central government.

Voice of Russia, AFP

Three al-Qaida militants captured by security forces in southern Yemen

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni security authorities arrested three al-Qaida militants in the southern province of Abyan on Thursday, a government official told Xinhua.

The security forces detained three members of the al-Qaida terrorist group in a military operation in the mountainous area of Marakasha in Abyan province, the local official said on condition of anonymity.

"The captured al-Qaida militants were transferred to the military intelligence headquarters in Abyan for questioning," the government source said.

"Weapons, explosives and leaflets were seized by the security forces during the operation," he added.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, known locally as Ansar al- Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), took advantage of a political upheaval in 2011 in Yemen to take over several towns of the southern restive regions.

The militants were targeted by Yemeni security authorities after an offensive launched in Abyan months ago routed the militants out of their strongholds that they had controlled for nearly a year.

The Yemeni government have beefed up anti-terror operation since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.

Deaths mar Yemen's 2011 revolt anniversary

Source : BBC News

Two people have been killed in clashes in Yemen during rallies marking the 2011 uprising that led to the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Officials say the fighting was between separatists and Islamists in the southern city of Aden.

Meanwhile, thousands of people marched peacefully in the capital Sanaa.

In November 2011, Mr Saleh handed over power to his deputy, who has since pledged to launch a national dialogue to draft a new constitution.

Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi won an uncontested presidential election the following year, marking the final stage in the exit of Mr Saleh - the country's longest-serving leader in recent times.

Mr Hadi has since set 18 March as the date for the much-anticipated dialogue to also prepare for new elections in 2014.

Despite this, Yemen remains plagued by political unrest, including clashes between security forces and Islamist militants.

In the south, separatists have for years complained of political and economic marginalisation by the central government in Sanaa.

Government troops kill three al-Qaida militants in southern Yemen

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Up to three al-Qaida militants were killed and five others were injured in armed confrontations with government troops in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Friday evening, a security official told Xinhua.

The government troops engaged in armed clashes with a squad of al- Qaida militants in the mountainous area of Maraksha in Abyan province, killing up to three terrorists and injuring five others, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"Before the armed clashes, a group of terrorists was planning to plant an improvised explosive device against a military patrol, but they failed," the security source said.

The al-Qaida terrorist group, which has been waging an insurgency of more than two years, has yet to make comments.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, known locally as Ansar al- Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), took advantage of a political upheaval in 2011 in Yemen to take over several towns of the southern restive regions.

The militants were targeted by Yemeni security authorities after a U.S.- backed offensive launched in the southern Abyan province months ago routed the militants out of their strongholds that they had controlled for nearly a year.

The Yemeni government along with the United states and oil-rich Saudi Arabia have beefed up anti-terror operation since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.

Yemenis hold anti-US protest in Sa’ada

Source : Islamic Invitation Turkey

Yemenis have staged an anti-US demonstration in the northern city of Sa’ada to protest against the interference by Washington and its allies in their country’s domestic affairs.

Chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” scores of Yemenis took to the streets of Sa’ada on Friday to demand an end to US meddling in Yemen and call for national unity.

The protesters further called for the withdrawal of American Marines. They also urged for an end to the US assassination drone attacks, which they blame for the deaths of many civilians.

The protesters accused Washington of preventing the fulfillment of the demands of a popular uprising that took place two years ago, saying that the US is imposing its policies on the country by backing a deal that equally shares power between the opposition and figures loyal to former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh. The deal also keeps allies of the deposed ruler in key military posts, the protesters said.

Saleh, who ruled Yemen for 33 years, stepped down in February 2012 after nearly a year of mass street protests against his rule under a US-backed power transfer deal in return for immunity.

But Yemenis say that so far there has been no improvement in the country and their demands have not been met because Saleh loyalists and his family members are in control of power positions in the government, as well as military and security apparatus.

Yemenis have vowed to continue protests until there is a complete regime change in Yemen.

Yemeni children rights need to be protected

Source : Xinhua

Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni children are surrounded by big problems including absence of state supervision, increasing rate of child labor, illegal immigration, children smuggling and child recruitment, as the frequent strikes of the juveniles triggered some activists and observers to say that the children's situation in Yemen is "catastrophic."

Dozens of juveniles have staged a hunger strike inside the central prison in Yemen's capital Sanaa for about a week to protest against a death sentence handed down recently against one of them.

They have vowed to continue their strike until the government meets their demand, including canceling the death sentence against Nadim Al-Azazi, who was imprisoned on murder charges while he was 15 years old.

"We are also protesting against our conditions here, the cells and cleanliness, preventing us from meeting or talking to families and maltreatment especially during interrogations," said one of the striking juveniles, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Everything related to protecting the child's rights here needs to be reconsidered and improved," Ahmed Al-Qurashi, chairman of the Yemeni-based SEYAJ Organization for Childhood Protection, told Xinhua.

"The laws, prisons, organizations and solutions don't live up to the requirements of better childhood in the country," Said Qurashi, who is a field expert on child rights and issues, he explained.

"Solutions by the government and Civil Society Organizations ( CSOs) are unhelpful and most of CSOs are illegal and are just serving political agenda, not the children's interest," he added.

He pointed out that the situation of juvenile prisoners in the capital Sanaa is not good.

"They are put together with adult inmates. Also, some may think the society has not treated them well and when they leave the cell, they will take revenge," he reiterated.

However, government officials said the authorities comply with the law which bans maltreatment of imprisoned juveniles or sentencing them while they are below 15 years old.

Nabil Abdu, a lawyer at the state juvenile court, said Yemen has never ordered to execute a juvenile through its modern history.

"All I am sure of is that if there was a death sentence, it would be handed down to an adult not a juvenile," he said.

The SEYAJ Organization for Childhood Protection is now seeking to meet the father of Al-Azazi to appeal against the preliminary verdict against his son, according to officials of the organization.

Official studies also found in 2010 that there were about 1.6 million children aged between 5 and 17 years involved in the labor market, said Mona Salem, director of the child labor control unit at the ministry of labor and social affairs.

The uprising in 2011 deepened the country's woes with poverty and unemployment increasing to record rates.

"Sometimes children deviate and learn bad behaviors when staying a long time away from their families and this is not a good societal phenomenon," Salem said, noting that children face many difficulties at workplaces including psychological and physical abuse.

"The government in coordination with international organizations including the International Labor Organization has exerted utmost efforts to combat child labor in Yemen. Still, more efforts are needed to be done concertedly," she added.

As for illegal immigration, many Yemeni children infiltrate into Saudi Arabia per year, but experts including Al-Qurashi argue they probably go there for work because of extreme poverty but not as smuggled.

He said the worst problem is the recruitment of children in conflicts by tribes, army leaders and illegal groups such as al- Qaida and Jihadists.

"This phenomenon, amid the absence of a law to ban recruiting children in very clear texts, is threatening the national and regional security," he said.

There are no studies on child recruitment or the exact numbers of the children recruited, but expectations based on observation of the situation suggest that more than 40 percent of the fighters in all conflicts in Yemen are under 18 years old, he continued.

Two army soldiers kidnapped in Yemen

Source :   Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Pro-secession gunmen kidnapped two army soldiers from a military checkpoint in Yemen's southern province of al- Dhalea on Wednesday, a security official told Xinhua.

The incident took place in the eastern suburbs of al-Dhalea province when a group of pro-secession gunmen attacked a military post with two rocket- propelled grenades and abducted two soldiers, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"After the attack, the gunmen who were wearing military uniform took the two soldiers to an unknown location," the security source said.

"The gunmen broke into the small military outpost and seized all ammunition there," he added.

Sources of the pro-secession Southern Movement were not available for comment.

The government has blamed an armed faction of the pro-secession Southern Movement for similar attacks that have killed many senior military and intelligence officials.

North and South Yemen unified peacefully in 1990, but their relationship deteriorated in 1994. Calls for separation in the country's southern regions were renewed in 2007, as southerners have complained of being marginalized.

Pro-secession protests have multiplied in the south amid a worsening economic situation in Yemen.

Yemeni police troops managed to defuse a bomb near an army base in the southern port city of Aden

Source :  Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni police troops managed to defuse a bomb near an army base in the southern port city of Aden on Tuesday, a military official told Xinhua.

Experts of the bomb detection and disposal squad defused an improvised explosive device at the back of the air forces headquarters in Aden, the local military official said on condition of anonymity.

"An improvised explosive device near the headquarters of the air forces was successfully removed and detonated at a safe location," the military official said.

Militants of the Yemen-based al-Qaida wing were likely behind the botched terrorist operation, according to the official.

The Yemeni troops defeated al-Qaida fighters in Abyan in May 2012 and recaptured several cities after months of deadly battles.

Backed by international community, the Yemeni transitional government has been waging large- scale offensive on terrorist groups to restore security and reinforce government control after the militants took advantage of 2011 political turmoil in the Arab country to control large areas in the southern regions.

At least 6 killed in fresh sectarian clashes in Yemen

Source : APA

Baku-APA. At least six people were killed on Monday in fresh sectarian clashes betwe armed Shiite and Sunni groups in Yemen's northern province of Saada, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The fighting erupted Monday evening after Sunni Muslims were stopped at a checkpo manned by an armed group affiliated with the Saada-based Shiite sect, also known a Houthi rebels.

"The Sunni men were stopped at the checkpoint in Ashash area in Kutaf district and w ordered to surrender their weapons," said Abdullah Manna, a tribal dignitary in Kuta

"The Sunni group refused and quarrelled with the Shiites that triggered fierce clashe leaving two Sunni and four Shiite men died," Manna told Xinhua by phone.

Several others were also wounded as sectarian tension escalated in nearby villages, h said.

Clashes between the Sunni and Shiite groups were frequent in Saada province since Shiite Houthi rebels stormed a Sunni-held mosque in the area in September last year

The Shiite sect is a majority in Saada province but forms the minority in the whole country.

The Houthi group has controlled most parts of Saada after they reached a truce with central government in Sanaa in early 2010 following a six-year sporadic war against Yemeni army.

After former President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down in February 2012 as part of backed power transfer deal following one-year street protests, the Houthis allied wit Saleh's loyalists to fight against the Sunni groups, which are supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, known as Islah Party in Yemen that is the main partner in the current transitional government.

The Yemeni government accuses Shiite-dominated Iran of supporting the Houthi rebe but Tehran always denies such charges.

3 al-Qaida members arrested by police in Yemen

Source : Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Three members of the Yemen- based al-Qaida offshoot were arrested by the police in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Monday, a government official told Xinhua.

Following an intelligence tip off, police troops arrested three al-Qaida members who were on their way to Aden, the local government official said on condition of anonymity.

"Four al-Qaida operatives were attempting to sneak into Aden to conduct terrorist operations against security officials, but the police troops aborted their plans," the government source said.

The al-Qaida terrorist group, which has been waging an insurgency for more than two years, has yet to make comments.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, known locally as Ansar al- Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), took advantage of a political upheaval in 2011 in Yemen to take over several towns of the southern restive regions.

The militants were targeted by Yemeni security authorities after a U.S.- backed offensive launched in the southern Abyan province months ago routed the militants out of their strongholds that they had controlled for nearly a year.

The Yemeni government along with the United states and oil-rich Saudi Arabia have beefed up anti-terror operation since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.

Yemen says seized ship carried rockets from Iran

Source : Your Middle East

A ship loaded with rockets and explosives which Yemen said it had intercepted last month came from Iran and the arms were destined for Shiite rebels, a security official said on Sunday.

"The boat was heading towards the (Red Sea) port of Al-Mukha" and the arms "were destined for the Huthi rebels in Saada," the northern stronghold of the Shiite fighters, the Yemeni security official told AFP.

Yemeni coast guard in coordination with the US navy last month intercepted the ship in the Arabian Sea, authorities have said.

The vessel "came from Iran and was carrying arms and explosives among them surface-to-air missiles SAM-2 and SAM-3," state news agency Saba reported on Sunday, adding that the crew of eight Yemeni nationals were being questioned.

The ship was stopped on January 23 in Yemeni territorial waters and flew several fake flags, authorities have said.

An offshoot of Shiite Islam, Zaidis are a minority in mainly Sunni Yemen but form the majority in the mountainous north.

From 2004 the Huthis fought six wars with central government forces before signing a truce in February 2010. The rebellion claimed thousands of lives.

The government accuses the rebels of being backed by Shiite-dominated Iran, charges which the Zaidis deny.

French, British, US warplanes and troops occupy Yemeni capital

Source : StratRisks

The UN Security Council continues its Yemen visit after holding a closed meeting with Yemeni and GCC – Gulf Cooperation Council – officials in Sana’a, the capital, residents woke up under foreign military occupation.

Keen to guarantee the safety of its state officials and ensure that no faction, group or individual will try to derail efforts being made in regards to moving Yemen transition of power forward, the United States of America, France and the United Kingdom took control between them of the sky and the ground.

Residents told the Yemen Post on Sunday they saw French warplanes patrol the sky of the capital in a great show of strength, which they say they felt a bit “over the top” and slightly insulting to Yemen military potency. A retired General, Ali Mohsen Khawlani stressed that Yemen should have been put in charge of all security details . “Our armed forces are perfectly capable and well-trained. What kind of message does it send to see foreign troops invade our capital. Are we moving toward a military occupation? Did foreign powers come to announce they will divide Yemen into zones of influence?”

Security sources revealed that on Saturday evening 250 Marines arrived in the capital, increasing yet again America’s military presence in the country. In addition to the Marines, several American CTU agents – couter-terrorism units – are said to have been deployed throughout the capital to scoop out any potential threat.

British troops scattered in Sana’a, criss-crossing with their American counterparts to cover as much ground as possible.

Dozens of French warplanes were sent to patrol the sky.

Earlier last week, President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi issued an order forbidding all residents of the capital to carry a weapon, officers and license bearers included following a request from foreign officials ahead of the arrival of the UNSC delegation to Sana’a. Yemen Post Staff

Yemen seizes ship carrying weapons

Source : APA

The report said Yemen's coast guard intercepted the ship last week

in an operation coordinated with the U.S. Navy. It did not say why

news of the interception was not announced earlier.

The report said the vessel's eight crew members were Yemenis and tha its destination and source of the weapons were under investigation.

Yemen has recently witnessed several cases of illegal arms shipments through its porous shores on the Red and Arabian seas.

Yemen is home to an active branch of al-Qaida, which staged several failed or foiled attacks on U.S. territory over the past several years.

On Tuesday, officials said attacks by Yemen's air force killed at least 16 al-Qaida militants and wounded dozens of others. The officials said the air force launched several air attacks in central Yemen, where the militants have bases.

In another operation, the Yemen military freed 13 soldiers captured by al-Qaida Monday night. The soldiers were on their way to transport troops and a military ambulance when they lost their way, straying int al-Qaida-held territory, where they were captured.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Yemeni president meets Chinese vice FM on developing ties

Source :  Xinhua

SANAA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Monday met with visiting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, with two sides exchanging views on Yemen's political transition and bilateral relations.

During the meeting, Hadi briefed Zhai on Yemen's transition process and expressed appreciatio for China's support to Yemen's development.

He stressed that Yemen attaches importance to the bilateral relations with China and wishes to continue developing the friendly cooperation relationship in various fields.

For his part, Zhai praised the progress in Yemen's political transition and reconstruction after rival forces in the country signed a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council that ended one-year unrest in 2011.

The Chinese government wishes all involved parties in Yemen to continue solving disputes through talks, in order to advance in the political transition with steady steps and achieve stability in the Arab country.

Yemen is among the first Arab countries that forged diplomatic ties with China, Zhai said, addin that China attaches great importance to developing bilateral relations with Yemen.

China wishes to deepen political mutual trust and strengthen the friendly cooperation in variou fields with Yemen, and will try its best to support Yemen's political transition and reconstructio the Chinese official said.

8 soldiers killed by Yemen bomb

Source : Voice of Russia

A powerful suicide car bomb is reported to have killed 8 government soldiers at a roadblock near Radaa 150 kilometers north of the Yemeni capital Sana’a.

The authorities say they believe Al Qaeda tried to retaliate for an artillery barrage of its positions in the area.

Yemen’s war with Al Qaeda started two years ago when Al Qaeda militants seized a number of towns in southern Yemen.

Voice of Russia, TASS

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Tribal attackers bomb Yemen's oil export pipeline

Source :  Xinhua | English.news.cn

SANAA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Armed tribal attackers blew up Yemen 's main oil export pipeline late Friday, nearly two weeks after it was repaired, officials said Saturday.

"The pipeline was exploded by a high-explosive bomb of TNT in a desert area in Sarawah district i the northeast province of Marib, causing thick smoke from burning oil," a provincial security investigator told Xinhua by phone on condition of anonymity.

Local security reports indicated that those saboteurs have links to provincial terrorist groups affiliated with the al-Qaida wing.

The fresh attack was the eighth of its kind in two months targeting the pipeline, which carries about 110,000 barrels of crude oil a day to the country's main oil terminal on the Red Sea for export.

The flow was resumed on Jan. 11 after the government repairs the pipeline, which came following a tribal mediation that ended nearly a two-month-long conflict between local military authorities and tribesmen whom the government accused of repeatedly attacking the pipeline.

The army launched a massive offensive last month over the previous attack of the pipeline, leavin at least 10 militants killed and more than 15 others injured.

The cash-stripped Yemeni interim government depends on oil exports for up to 70 percent of its budget.

Oil pipeline bombed by gunmen in southeast Yemen

Source :  Xinhua | English.news.cn

ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- An armed group blasted an oil pipeline Saturday in Yemen's restive southeastern province of Shabwa, as part of a string of explosions targeting the energy sector in Yemen, a government official told Xinhua.

The armed group blew up the pipeline that transfers Yemen's liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Gulf of Aden export terminal, in the area of Rudhum in Shabwa province, the local government said on condition of anonymity.

The huge blast, which is the latest in a series of explosions during the past few months, disrupted oil flows, the government source said.

Local residents said they saw fire following the pipeline bombing.

The 320-km pipeline, linking oil-producing Marib province to Belhaf LNG export facility in Yemen's restive south, has been repeatedly targeted by al-Qaida operatives.

Oil revenues make up more than 70 percent of the state budget, while oil and gas products account for over 90 percent of Yemen's exports.

Yemen's oil production rapidly declined from more than 400,000 barrels per day at the beginning of the past decade to the current 270,000 barrels per day.

Despite the army reinforcements and high security measures at the country's oil projects, al-Qaid militants have attacked the main LNG pipeline several times in recent months.

Oil pipeline bombed by gunmen in southeast Yemen

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

DEN, Yemen, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- An armed group blasted an oil pipeline Saturday in Yemen's restive southeastern province of Shabwa, as part of a string of explosions targeting the energy sector in Yemen, a government official told Xinhua.

The armed group blew up the pipeline that transfers Yemen's liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Gulf of Aden export terminal, in the area of Rudhum in Shabwa province, the local government said on condition of anonymity.

The huge blast, which is the latest in a series of explosions during the past few months, disrupted oil flows, the government source said.

Local residents said they saw fire following the pipeline bombing.

The 320-km pipeline, linking oil-producing Marib province to Belhaf LNG export facility in Yemen's restive south, has been repeatedly targeted by al-Qaida operatives.

Oil revenues make up more than 70 percent of the state budget, while oil and gas products account for over 90 percent of Yemen's exports.

Yemen's oil production rapidly declined from more than 400,000 barrels per day at the beginning of the past decade to the current 270,000 barrels per day.

Despite the army reinforcements and high security measures at the country's oil projects, al-Qaid militants have attacked the main LNG pipeline several times in recent months.

Yemen tightens security around French embassy - Xinhua

Source :  English.news.cn

SANAA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni Interior Ministry said Friday that it has tightened security around the French embassy in the capital of Sanaa, after a French-backed ground offensive agains Islamist militants in the African country of Mali.

"The security reinforcement does not mean that the French embassy is at risk, but it is a precautionary measure that we must be prepared to face every eventuality," the ministry said in a brief statement obtained by Xinhua.

The move came in anticipation of possible protests against the French week-long military operations on the Islamist rebels in the desert of Mali.

In September 2012, four Yemenis were killed when dozens of angry demonstrators stormed the U.S. embassy in Sanaa to protest a film produced in the United States denigrating Prophet Mohammad.

Thousands rally in southern Yemen on civil war anniversary

Source : Xinhua

ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of pro-secession protesters on Sunday took to streets across Yemen's southern port city of Aden, calling for independence of the south on the 27th anniversary of civil war.

More than 7,000 pro-secession protesters comprising students, political activists and lawyers, organized a large rally to mark the anniversary of civil war on Jan. 13, 1986.

The rally that initially called for peace and tolerance then turned to call for secession from the northern part of Yemen.

"South Independence, South Independence... We all want the right for self-determination," the protesters chanted.

A local government official told Xinhua anonymously that "The whole country is in an alarming situation in all respects. But we don't want secession. We stick to unification of all Yemen's parts.

"The south secession issues and other issues should be discussed through dialogue. We refuse the acts of violence," the official added.

Yemen's pro-secession Southern Movement and several other separatist factions have refused to participate in the upcoming national dialogue proposed by the central Sanaa government.

The comprehensive national dialogue scheduled to begin soon is based on a Gulf-brokered power transfer deal under which former President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down after one-year-long unrest.

Government officials have called the exiled leaders of the Southern Movement to return to Yemen to take part in the national dialogue, but some separatist leaders place little faith and claim that security units will simply arrest them at the airport if they come back.

Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the first president from southern Yemen since the country's two parts unified in 1990, pledged that he will address the problems by launching a responsible national dialogue within the framework of the constitutional institutions.

However, youth activists and politicians in the south dismissed Hadi's call, with many saying that i was just an empty gesture.

Two soldiers killed in ambush in south Yemen

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Two army soldiers were killed in a secessionist ambush in Yemen's southern province of al-Dhalea on Friday, a police officer told Xinhua.

A military convoy was attacked by pro-secession gunmen with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades in al-Dhalea province, leaving at least two soldiers killed, the local police officer said on condition of anonymity.

"About two soldiers of the 33rd Armored Brigade were killed in a well-planned ambush by secessionist attackers," the police source said.

North and South Yemen unified peacefully in 1990, but their relationship deteriorated in 1994. Calls for separation in the country's southern regions were renewed in 2007, as southerners have complained of being marginalized

Yemeni protesters hold demonstration in Sana’a

Source : www.islamicinvitationturkey

Yemenis have staged a demonstration in Sana’a to voice discontent with the government’s failure to meet their demands following the ouster of former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital on Thursday, chanting, “The revolution will continue.” One of the protesters told Press TV, “We want the ouster of all corrupt officials in the military and government institutions. If these demands are not met, our revolution will continue.” The demonstrators also censured the increasing presence of military checkpoints and armored vehicles across the capital. They called on President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi to address the current situation of the military and the political instability in the country before a national dialogue takes place. Saleh formally stepped down and handed over power to then Vice President Hadi in February 2012. The power transfer occurred under a Saudi-backed deal brokered by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council in April 2011 and signed by Saleh in Riyadh on November 23, 2011. Hadi, who is a UK-trained field marshal, was sworn in on February 25, 2012, following a single-candidate presidential election on February 21, which was supported by the United States and the Saudi regime.

Yemeni chief killed, apparent al-Qaida revenge

Source : APA

Baku—APA. Yemeni security officials say a prominent tribal chief has been killed in an ambush, an apparent revenge attack by al-Qaida for his security links, APA reports quoting news.yahoo.com website.

The officials said suspected al-Qaida militants fatally shot Ali Abdul-Salam Thursday and wounded two of his guards as they rode in his vehicle in the southern province of Abyan.

Security and tribal officials said Abul-Salam, an elected local council member in Shabwa province, was accused by militants of providing information to security agencies and foreign intelligence that led to the targeting of al-Qaida members.

The officials were speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

The government, backed by the U.S., has been going after al-Qaida militants who have established strongholds in Yemen's south.

Pro-government tribal chief killed in southern Yemen

Source - Xinhua | English.news.cn

ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- A pro-government tribal chief was killed by unknown gunmen in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Thursday, a security official told Xinhua.

Four masked gunmen shot dead the elderly pro-government tribal chief, Abdulsalam Zabra, in the suburbs of Mahfad town in Abyan, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"The pro-government tribal leader, who escaped two previous assassination attempts in Abyan, was seriously injured and died after he was sent to hospital," the security source said.

"Residents in the area denounced the assassination incident, for which they hold the al-Qaida militants responsible," he added.

Meanwhile, a military source told Xinhua anonymously that " scores of al-Qaida militants are still fighting with the government troops which intend to clear the terrorist group from mountainous areas in Abyan."

In January 2009, al-Qaida affiliates in Saudi Arabia and Yemen officially merged and formed Al- Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP). The group, mainly entrenching itself in Yemen's southern provinces of Abyan and Shabwa, is on the terrorist list of the United States, which considers it as an increasing threat to its national security.

The AQAP underscores the challenges faced by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who won support from major Yemeni political forces, the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Hadi is tasked with restoring security and stability to Yemen and putting an end to the growing influence of al-Qaida that threatens daily oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.