Northern Yemen Is Enjoying The Peace For Now

Anti-U.S. Rebels’ Triumph In Northern Yemen Brings Peace To Embattled Region -- McClatchy News

SAADA, Yemen — For much of the past decade, Yemen’s far northern governorate of Saada, on the border with Saudi Arabia, has been one of the most conflict-wracked areas of this fractious nation, a place where war between the Houthis, who practice a brand of Shiite Islam known as Zaydi, and Yemen’s central government has left thousands of dead and much of the region in ruins.

Today, however, the governorate is an unlikely bastion of calm, with the Houthis effectively seizing control during the months that the battle to depose former President Ali Abdullah Saleh distracted the central government.

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My Comment: This period of calm will inevitably be shattered when the central government is strong enough to assert it's authority in the region. When will that happen is something that no one can predict .... but it will happen one day.

A Bombing Raid That Went Terribly Wrong

Yemen Troops Die After Zinjibar 'Friendly Fire Bombing' -- BBC

About 30 soldiers have been killed after an air strike by Yemeni warplanes in the south of the country, local officials and medics said, though the government has denied the reports.

The bombing on Saturday evening hit 119th brigade troops near Zinjibar in restive Abyan province and was followed by attacks by militants, reports say.

It is unclear how many died in the actual bombing, or if it was an error.

However, Yemeni TV said no such air strike had taken place.

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More News On The 'Friendly Fire Bombing' Of Yemeni Soldiers

Yemeni jet mistakenly bombs army post, kills 30 -- AP
Yemeni warplane mistakenly bombs soldiers, officials say -- Reuters
Yemeni war plane may have hit own troops -- UPI
31 soldiers killed in botched air strikes in southern Yemen: army officer -- Xinhuanet
Yemen warplane strikes own troops by mistake -- The Guardian
'25 soldiers killed' in Yemen Qaeda battles -- AFP

Yemen President Speaks On TV For The First Time Since His Assassination Attempt

Yemen President Speaks on TV for First Time Since Injury -- New York Times

SANA, Yemen — President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen appeared on television Thursday for the first time since he was injured in a bombing of his presidential compound’s mosque a month ago. The prerecorded broadcast from Saudi Arabia, where he has been recuperating since the attack, showed him speaking with difficulty, with a red Saudi headdress and a darkened face from the severe burns he suffered.

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Yemen President Speaks on TV for First Time Since His Assassination Attempt

Yemen's Saleh appears on TV, offers to share power -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Yemen's injured president makes video address -- Yahoo News/AP
Yemen's Saleh makes first TV appearance since attack -- AFP
Yemen president appears on TV -- Al Jazeera
Saleh Sends Defiant Message in First Address Since Injury in Yemen Blast -- Bloomberg
Yemeni president makes first TV appearance since attack -- CNN
Yemen's leader speaks for first time since attack -- MSNBC
Saleh appears on Yemen TV, bandaged and burnt -- The National
A Very Different-Looking Saleh Makes First Appearance Since Attack -- Atlantic Wire

My Comment: He does not look good .... not good at all.

Heavy Fighting Between Yemen Soldiers And Al Qaeda Militants Reported In Yemen

Yemen Soldiers Killed In South, 300 Defect: Opposition -- Yahoo News/Reuters

ADEN/SANAA (Reuters) - At least 26 Yemeni government soldiers and 17 Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda were killed on Wednesday in heavy fighting for control of a stadium near the southern city of Zinjibar, officials said.

Opposition officials said more than 300 government soldiers had defected, in a further blow to President Ali Abdullah Saleh as he recovers in Saudi Arabia from injuries sustained in an attack on his palace in early June.

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More News On Reports Of Heavy Fighting Between Al Qaeda And Yemen Military Units

South Yemen battles between army, Islamists kill 48 -- Vancouver Sun/AFP
Battle for football stadium between Yemeni soldiers and militants sees nearly 50 killed -- The National
Yemen: Battle near Zinjibar 'kills at least 21' -- BBC
30 soldiers, 10 al-Qaida militants killed in battles in south Yemen -- Xinhuanet
Yemen Militant Attack Leaves 15 Soldiers Dead, Witness Says -- Bloomberg
Dozens of Soldiers Killed in Yemen Fighting -- Voice of America

Yemen Leader Heavily Burned In Blast

US Officials: Yemen Leader Heavily Burned In Blast -- CBS News/AP

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — President Ali Abdullah Saleh was burned over 40 percent of his body and suffered bleeding in the brain from last weekend's attack on his palace, U.S. officials said Tuesday, indicating his wounds were worse than initially reported. The revelation casts doubts on a quick return to Yemen and spells a deepening power vacuum.

In the wake of Saleh's evacuation to Saudi Arabia for treatment, Yemen's violence escalated, with government troops battling Islamic militants and opposition tribesmen in two southern cities on Tuesday. The military said it killed 30 militants who were among a group that took over the city of Zinjibar last week amid the country's turmoil.

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More News On President Ali Abdullah Saleh Injuries

Yemen Leader Hurt Worse than Thought -- Time
Yemeni leader's injuries worse than initially reported, officials say -- Tampabay.com/Times
Yemeni President Saleh said to be more seriously injured than first reported -- Cleveland.com/McClatchy-Tribune
Yemen president's rocket attack injuries worse than first thought -- Daily Mirror

Civil War In Yemen -- News Updates June 3, 2011

In Yemen, Civil War Comes To Saleh's Door -- Christian Science Monitor

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose compound was attacked today, appears unable to shut down the unprecedented challenge to his 32-year rule.

Yemen slipped closer to a full-blown civil war today as opposition tribesmen attacked the compound of President Ali Abdullah Saleh for the first time. While the president appears to have narrowly escaped serious injury, the escalating fighting represents an unprecedented challenge to his 32-year rule.

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More News On The Civil War In Yemen

Yemen president wounded as tribesmen strike palace -- Yahoo News/AP
Yemen's Saleh hurt in palace attack: diplomat -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Yemen president, premier wounded in palace shelling -- Yahoo News/AFP
President of Yemen wounded in attack on compound -- BBC
Yemen slides towards civil war as president injured along with seven top officials in rebel rocket attack on palace -- Daily Mail
Yemen’s president hurt in palace blast -- Financial Times
Yemen's President Wounded in Rocket Attack -- Voice of America
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's compound attacked -- L.A. Times
Yemen’s President Is ‘Lightly’ Injured In Shelling of Palace -- New York Times
Attack against Yemen's Saleh killed imam, guards -- Reuters
Yemeni presidential palace shelled -- UPI
CORRECTED (OFFICIAL)-Attack against Yemen's Saleh kills three -- Reuters
Yemen Fighting Escalates Further -- Voice of America
Yemen unrest: Defiance on the streets of Sanaa -- BBC
Yemen on brink of civil war as US urges president to step down -- The Guardian
40% of Casualties in the Yemen Uprising Have Come in the Last Ten Days -- Atlantic Wire
Split Tribal Allegiances Deepen Yemen's Crisis -- Voice of America
Elite Yemeni families at center of clashes -- Washington Post
Feud within key Yemen tribe could tear nation apart -- L.A. Times
US calls for immediate ceasefire in Yemen -- AFP
Yemen: attack on president keeps observers guessing -- Brian Whitaker, The Guardian
Timeline: Protests against Saleh rule in Yemen -- Reuters

Al-Qaida Gunment Attack And Kill 17 Soldiers In Yemen

Al-Qaida Gunmen Kill 17 Soldiers In Yemen -- Washington Post/AP

SANAA, Yemen -- Suspected al-Qaida fighters killed at least 17 Yemeni soldiers in a pair of ambushes in the country's restive south on Friday, officials said.

Both attacks took place near the town of Lawder in Abyan province, some 155 miles (250 kilometers) southeast of the capital of Sanaa. In the deadliest strike, gunmen killed 13 soldiers escorting a convoy of water tankers, said the province's deputy governor, Salih al-Shamsi. He said the assailants fled and army units were pursuing them.

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More News On Al Qaeda Attacks In Yemen

Four Yemeni soldiers killed in southern attack -- Reuters
In Second Ambush on Friday, AQAP Targets Military Commander in South -- Yemen Post
Al Qaeda militants kill 12 Yemeni soldiers in ambush -- Reuters
Al-Qaida Ambush Kills 12 Yemeni Soldiers -- Voice of America
Yemeni soldiers killed in Islamist militant attack -- BBC
Al-Qaida gunmen kill 13 soldiers in Yemen -- Jerusalem Post/AP
More Bad News from Yemen -- Time Magazine

Offensive In Yemen Against Al Qaeda Results In Thousands Fleeing

Thousands Flee Fighting In Yemen's Shabwa Province -- BBC

More than 8,000 civilians have fled their homes in southern Yemen, as government forces launched an assault on al-Qaeda militants, officials said.

Yemeni forces said 80 to 100 al-Qaeda fighters were thought to be hiding in the town of Huta in Shabwa province.

Three militants and two soldiers have died in the clashes, which have been raging since Sunday, officials said.

The fighting comes as President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan was visiting Yemen.

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More News On Yemen's Civil War

Thousands flee Qaeda clashes in south Yemen -- Reuters
Thousands of Yemenis flee battle with al-Qaida -- AP
South Yemen clashes send thousands fleeing -- Daily Times
FACTBOX-Security developments in Yemen -- Alertnet
Qaeda says it is holding top Yemeni official: SITE -- AFP
Four Qaeda suspects charged with targeting foreigners in Yemen -- AFP
Yemen outlaws motorcycles in governorate under siege -- Jerusalem Post
Obama, in letter to Yemen, stresses U.S. support -- Reuters
Obama pledges to help Yemen fight terrorists -- USA Today
U.S. 'convinced' Yemen can tackle threats -- UPI
Can Yemen's friends really help? -- Guardian opinion

Fightin Continues Across Yemen With Dozens Killed

Yemen Clashes Reflect North-South Tensions -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Fighting has flared up across Yemen in recent days, with dozens of pro-government tribesmen killed in clashes with rebels in the north since the weekend, and five soldiers killed in a suspected Qaeda ambush Thursday in the southern province of Shabwa, witnesses and military officials said.

The violence highlighted the multiple security threats facing Yemen, which drew global attention in December after a failed bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound commercial flight by a young Nigerian man trained by militants from Al Qaeda in Yemen. The United States and other Western countries have pressured Yemen to resolve separate insurgent movements in the north and south to focus more intensively on fighting Al Qaeda.

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More News On Yemen's Internal Strife

Al Qaeda claims Yemen attacks, vows more strikes -- Reuters
Al-Qaida Claims Deadly Yemen Attack -- Voice of America
Al-Qaeda claims deadly Yemen attacks -- Sydney Morning Herald/AFP
Suspected al Qaeda militants kill 5 Yemeni soldiers -- Reuters
Death toll rises to 51 in clashes in N Yemen -- Xinhuanet
Clashes in Northern Yemen Kill at Least 20 -- Voice of America
20 dead in overnight clashes in north Yemen -- AFP
Three days of north Yemen fighting kills 34 -- Reuters
66 MPs Suspend Memberships amid Houthi Attacks against Fellow, Ceasefire Breaches -- Yemen Post
Northern Yemen still volatile five months after ceasefire, says UN agency -- UN News Centre
Situation in northern Yemen still volatile -- UNHCR
Yemen country profile -- BBC

Yemen Is Descending Back Into Civil War

Three Days Of North Yemen Fighting Kills 34 -- New York Times/Reuters

SANAA (Reuters) - Clashes between Shi'ite rebels and pro-government tribes in north Yemen have killed 34 people over the past three days, local and security officials said, amid growing efforts to preserve a fragile truce in the area.

The violence comes after an offer from Qatar to revive a 2008 peace deal it brokered between the Yemeni government and northern rebels. The move was welcomed by both sides.

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More News On Yemen

At least 49 killed in north Yemen clashes: rebels -- AFP
Many dead in Yemen rebel clashes -- BBC
At Least 34 Killed in North Yemen Clashes -- Voice of America
Explosions rock Yemeni capital -- UPI
YEMEN: Renewed clashes in north leave dozens dead -- IRIN
Houthis deny gov't claims, back peace -- UPI
Rebels back Yemen rival talks -- News24
Yemeni Shiite rebels welcome Qatari role in achieving peace -- AFP
U.S. military picks, trains Yemeni fighers -- CNN
Yemen battles twin threat of al-Qaida and separatists -- The Guardian
Yemen battles food insecurity -- UPI

Yemen Truce Broken. Fears Of More War Return.

Photo: The shooting started only hours after a ceasefire was announced. Photo from The BBC

Yemen Rebels Kill Four Troops After Breaking Truce -- AFP

SANAA — The Yemeni army accused Shiite rebels of breaking a ceasefire on Friday, just hours after it came into force, saying they killed four soldiers in a string of attacks in the far north of Yemen.

The head of military operations in Saada province, General Mohammed Abdullah al-Qussi, said he himself came under rebel attack.

"I escaped an assassination attempt by the rebels who opened fire on my car," Qussi told AFP.

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More News On Yemen's Civil War

Yemen says truce holds despite Shi'ite attack -- Reuters
Houthi Rebels open fire after Yemen peace deal -- BBC
Yemen rebels kill soldier a few hours into ceasefire -- The Guardian
Ceasefire violated, Yemen claims -- CBC
Violations test Yemen's shaky truce -- Al Jazeera
Factbox: Roots of Yemen’s conflict with northern Shi’ite rebels -- Ethiopian Review

My Comment: After many years of war and conflict .... you would think people would finally stop fighting amongst themselves. In Yemen's case, I can only hope that these are isolated incidents, and that progress towards a ceasefire and truce will continue to take hold.

Yemen Civil War News Updates -- February 7, 2010

Image from The BBC

Will Yemen Rebels Accept A Fresh Cease-Fire Plan? -- Christian Science Monitor

Yemen's government – under pressure from the US to focus on Al Qaeda-linked groups operating within its borders – is stepping up efforts to solve a separate pressing issue: five years' worth of fighting with Shiite rebels.

The Yemeni government has presented a cease-fire plan to Houthi rebels in a bid to end five years of fighting with the fiercely anti-Western Shiite group. An end to that conflict, which has also drawn in the Saudi Arabian military, would allow Yemen to turn its focus toward the Al Qaeda affiliates operating within its borders.

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More News On Yemen

Peace agreement eludes Yemen -- Al Jazeera
Yemen asks rebels to implement truce to end war -- Reuters
Yemen gives northern rebels a cease-fire framework in bid to end conflict -- Today Online
Yemen Hands Over a Timetable to Houthis to Implement the Six Conditions -- Yemen Post
Deaths reported in Yemen clashes -- Al Jazeera
Shiite rebels kill 23 Yemeni soldiers -- Sydney Morning Herald/AFP
Yemen kills at least 11 rebels in Saada: report -- Xinhuanet
In Yemen, the truth is a casualty of war -- L.A. Times opinion
Postcard From Yemen -- Thomas Friedman, New York Times

Yemen Civil War News Updates -- February 4, 2010

Ruling Yemen Gets Even More Complicated -- L.A. Times

President Ali Abdullah Saleh is losing support amid a civil war, secessionist movement and battle against an Al Qaeda branch that has drawn the attention of the U.S.

Reporting from Cairo and Sana, Yemen - President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who once described ruling Yemen as dancing on the heads of snakes, has stayed in power for three decades through a clever mix of money, tribal ploys and government corruption.

But Saleh's political capital is shrinking and his wiles are straining as Yemen struggles with a civil war in the north, secession troubles in the south and a battle against an Al Qaeda affiliate that has drawn the United States into a new front against the terrorist network.

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More News On Yemen

Yemen Says Kills 16 Rebels, Leaders Among Them -- New York Times/Reuters
Yemen says kills 16 rebels, leaders among them -- Swiss Info
Yemen rebels say open to Saudi prisoner swap -- Reuters
Yemen rebels pledge not to attack Saudi Arabia -- AFP
Houthi fighters repeat truce offer -- Tehran Times
Yemen Commitment to Al Qaeda Fight Not Clear - CIA -- New York Times/Reuters
U.S. Doubts Yemen Ability as Ally in Fight on Terror -- Yemen Post
Yemen tribe protects fugitive cleric -- Washington Times/AP
US cleric: Accused plane bomber was my student -- Washington Post
Experts: Al Qaeda in Yemen may send American jihadis, recruited by Anwar al-Awlaki, to attack U.S. -- New York Daily News
U.S. intelligence calls al-Qaeda group in Yemen 'foremost concern' -- Baltimore Sun
Undermining al Qaeda in Yemen -- Jawa Report
Factbox: Roots of Yemen's conflict with northern rebels -- Reuters
Analysis: Yemen's rebellions fuelled by economic meltdown -- IRIN
ANALYSIS - Stabilising Yemen will test stamina of donors -- Reuters
Yemen on the Brink: Implications for U.S. Policy -- US State Department
U.S. should increase financial aid to Yemen: Carnegie -- Reuters
Yemen Faces Grave and Growing Domestic Challenges -- Carnegie Endowment

Yemen Civil War News Updates -- January 31, 2010

Yemen Rejects Cease-Fire Offer -- Wall Street Journal/AP

SAN'A, Yemen--Yemen's government on Sunday rejected a cease-fire offer from the country's northern rebels and issued a fresh demand calling on the militants to pledged not to attack neighboring Saudi Arabia.

After more than five years of sporadic fighting with the rebels, Yemen has come under international pressure to quickly end the conflict to free up resources to confront a separate threat from an al Qaeda offshoot that has set up operations there over the past year.

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More News On Yemen

Yemen says war will stop if rebels agree six terms -- Yahoo News/AFP
Yemen clashes continue, ceasefire offer rejected -- Reuters
Fighting Breaks Out Despite Cease-fire Offer Between Yemenis, Shi'ites -- Voice of America
Yemeni army: “rebels killed in clashes” -- Radio Netherlands
Yemen says 24 rebels killed in Saada clashes -- Xinhuanet
Yemen rejects truce offer as Saudi forces clash with Shiite rebels -- Al Bawaba
Yemen to stop military operation if rebels accept six conditions -- Xinhuanet
Yemen says war will stop if rebels agree six terms -- AFP
Yemen counters rebels' offer with own preconditions -- CNN
Ceasefire accepted if six point condition implemented -- Yemen Observer
Confusion over Yemen ceasefire deal -- Euronews

An End To Yemen's Civil War?

Saudi soldiers drive an army tank in Al-Khouba in the southern Jizan province. Photo AFP

Yemen Rebels Say They Accept Truce Terms -- Washington Post/AP

SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's Shi'ite northern rebels accept the government's terms for a ceasefire, their leader said on Saturday, but there was no immediate response from the authorities.

Yemen, facing insurgency in the north and secessionists in the south, has been under international scrutiny since the Yemeni arm of al Qaeda claimed responsibility for an abortive bid to blow up a U.S.-bound plane with 300 people on board.

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More News On Yemen

Yemen rebels say would accept conditional end to war -- AFP
Yemeni rebels agree to cease-fire -- Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Yemen rebels say accept govt truce offer -- Reuters
Yemen Shia rebels make ceasefire offer -- BBC
Al-Qaeda is almost the least of Yemen's problems -- CBC
On craggy border, Yemen rebels test Saudi might -- AFP
The dark side of children's lives in Yemen -- BBC
Factbox: Roots of Yemen's conflict with northern rebels -- Reuters
Saudi Arabia vs. The Houthis -- Middle East Online

Yemen Civil War News Updates -- January 23, 2010

Qaeda Coordinating With Yemen's Huthi Rebels: Saudi Minister -- AFP

RIYADH — Al-Qaeda is coordinating with Yemen's Huthi rebels battling Yemen and Saudi government forces along the two countries' border, the Saudi deputy defence minister said on Saturday.

"We have confirmed information... that there is communication and coordination" between the two groups, said Prince Khaled bin Sultan, according to the official SPA news agency.

Prince Khaled, who was speaking to troops in Jizan, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, did not provide details of the alleged cooperation.

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More News On The Civil War In Yemen

US General Says Yemen Could Become Iran-Saudi Proxy War -- Voice of America
U.S. says Yemen group one of many al Qaeda branches -- Reuters
U.S. increases efforts to boost security in Yemen amid increasing terror threat -- Washington Post
Clinton: U.S. will join Yemen terror fight -- UPI
Saudi claims Yemeni rebels linked to al Qaeda -- Reuters
Saudi Arabia says Yemeni Shiite rebels cooperate with Qaida -- Xinhuanet
Saudi Arabia finds bodies of 20 missing soldiers, raising death toll to 133 in Yemen conflict -- Canadian Press
Death toll in Jazan fighting rises to 113 -- Arab News
Bodies of missing Saudi soldiers found -- UPI
Rebels: Saudi jets bomb Yemen -- UPI
Saudis conduct 18 airstrikes on northern Yemen -- Press TV
Yemen Shi'ite rebels say leader in good health -- Reuters
In Yemen, Houthi leader appears in video -- Press TV
Yemen rebels post video to prove chief is unhurt -- BBC
Yemen Shiite rebel chief mocks death reports: video -- AFP

Al Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula Threatens More Strikes

Al Qaeda Threatens New Strikes -- Wall Street Journal

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula issued fresh threats Monday against the U.S. and its Mideast allies, promising to retaliate against a surge of strikes launched in the past month against its leaders and safe havens in Yemen.

The terrorist group also denied statements made by Yemeni authorities late last week that six of al Qaeda's senior leaders in the country, including the man identified as the leader of the group's military operations, had been killed in an air strike.

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More News On Al Qaeda In Yemen

Yemen Al Qaeda group denies that airstrikes killed its leader -- Christian Science Monitor
Said al Shihri captured? -- Long War Journal
Al-Qaeda denies Yemen death claims -- Al Jazeera
Al-Qaeda wing denies leaders killed in Yemen: SITE -- AFP
Al-Qaida: Yemen airstrikes didn't kill group chief -- Washington Post/AP
Yemen security chief gives tribes' Qaeda warning -- AFP
ANALYSIS-Wary donors to demand economic reforms from Yemen -- Reuters
Q+A-Somali-Yemeni militant ties in the spotlight -- Reuters

Yemen Civil War News Updates -- January 12, 2010

US Won't Send Troops To Yemen. How Will It Defeat Al Qaeda There? -- Christian Science Monitor

President Obama and the Pentagon have ruled out US troops in Yemen. The US will have to rely on civilian aid – which has been ineffective in Iraq and Afghanistan – to undermine Al Qaeda.

The US is looking at ways to help the Yemeni government stabilize its country that are unlikely to include sending American forces anytime soon.

That may appease some of the more radical elements within Yemen, including a Yemeni cleric, who said Monday that the US should keep American troops out of his country. Sheik Abdul-Malid al-Zindani, considered by the US to be a global terrorist with ties to Osama bin Laden, says a deployment of American troops to Yemen would amount to an occupation and would force Yemenis to “rise up” against their government.

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More News On Yemen

Saudi and Yemeni Forces Fight Rebels on 2 Fronts -- New York Times
Four Saudi soldiers killed near Yemen frontier: report -- Reuters
Yemen says ”many” Shiite rebels killed in clashes -- Al Bawaba
Saudi and Yemeni forces claim victory in renewed fighting with rebels -- Times Online
Clashes in Yemen kill 17 rebels, eight soldiers -- AFP
Saudi: 82 Soldiers Killed Fighting Yemeni Rebels -- New York Times
Yemen: A Country Still At War With Itself -- The Age
War risk menaces Yemen's wild south -- Financial Times
Yemen 'cannot contain al-Qa'ida' -- Independent
Al-Qaeda gets the upper hand in Yemen -- The Age
Yemen denies claims it offered al-Qaeda deal to leave -- The Telegraph
Yemen denies reports to renew talks with al-Qaida -- China View
Yemen's top diplomat rejects US, West's pressure for reforms amid fight against al-Qaida -- Canadian Press
Radical Yemen cleric warns against US 'occupation' -- AFP
Yemen's most powerful radical cleric warns of foreign 'occupation' in growing terror fight -- Canadian Press
US walking a tightrope with its Yemen policy -- Christian Science Monitor
Yemen: UN agency estimates 200,000 civilians uprooted as fighting rages on -- UN News Center
200,00 Displaced in Northern Yemen Fighting -- Voice of America

A Wake-Up Call From Yemen

Men claiming to be Al-Qaeda members address a crowd in Yemen's southern province of Abyan Photo: AFP/GETTY

Yemeni Officials Admit They Are Losing The Battle Against Al-Qaeda -- The Telegraph

Yemeni officials have admitted they are losing the battle against al-Qaeda and the terror group is extending its reach into remote regions where state control has all but disappeared.

Regional politicians have presented a much bleaker prognosis than the authorities in the capital Sana'a, who have repeatedly sought to play down the threat posed by extremists in the wake of the Detroit terror attack.

They say al-Qaeda has forged its strongest relationship with local tribes in the sparsely populated mountains and desert of the south, where long simmering resentment of the government has given way to near-rebellion.

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My Comment: This completely contradicts reports from both the Middle East and Washington on what is happening in Yemen.

I am not privy to intelligence on Yemen, but I do know that Al Qaeda and its affiliates .... if they were not a factor .... would have been burned a long time ago. But they are still operating, which tells me that they have support, resources, and manpower that is far more extensive than what we are being told.

Nepotism And Incompetence Appears To Symbolize Yemen's Fight Against Al Qaeda

Yemeni women in the local antiterrorism force participate in a mock kidnapping during training in the mountains outside of the capital, San'a, on Saturday. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Bureaucracy Hampers Yemeni Military Effort -- Wall Street Journal

Antiterror Leader Says Organizational Shortcomings Are Undermining Foreign Assistance in the Fight Against Al Qaeda

ADEN, Yemen -- As the U.S. and Britain pledge fresh military assistance for Yemen, the man in charge of one of the country's antiterror units says cumbersome bureaucracy is sapping the effectiveness of his men.

The complaint by Brig. Gen. Yahya Saleh, the nephew of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, underscores the challenges facing Washington and allied capitals as they scramble to help Yemen fight the country's homegrown terror network. The alleged Christmas Day bomber, Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has told investigators he received his explosive device and training in Yemen.

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My Comment: The key sentence in this report is the following ....

Soldiers in the (Yemen anti-terrorism) unit said four British and four U.S. soldiers currently were training their company. The U.S. and British trainers focus on fundamentals, such as physical fitness and shooting techniques, as well as basic infantry tactics such as how to raid and clear a house, the Yemeni soldiers said.

Hmmmm .... four U.S. soldiers .... and this on the day when President Obama played down any military role in Yemen.