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Al Qaeda calls for Islamic rule after Yemen violence
Al Qaeda on Wednesday called for Islamic rule in Yemen and vowed to retaliate for what it said was the killing of civilians in clashes between police and locals in the south, where secessionist sentiment is strong. The country is trying to shake off an image of violence and lawlessness to promote tourism and foreign investment. It is battling Al Qaeda, separatist calls in the south and Shia rebels in the north. "The time for the rule of Islam has come so that you could bask in the justice and tolerance it brings," Abu Basir Nasser Al-Wahayshi, the leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, said in a recording posted on a website on Wednesday. "The injustice that befell you, God willing, will not pass without punishment. The killing of Muslims in the streets is a great crime that has no justification." Wahayshi's remarks coincided with a rare call by the United States embassy in recent weeks for parties to act to keep Yemen united. People in the south, home to most of Yemen's oil facilities, have long complained that northerners have abused a unity agreement to grab their resources and discriminate against them. Three people were killed on Wednesday in a shootout between police and guards of Al-Ayam newspaper, one of several newspapers the government has suspended and accused of seeking to divide the country, witnesses said. Posted by: Fred 2009-05-14 |
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