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| Arabia |
| Yemen says defence complex attackers mostly Saudi |
| 2013-12-08 |
| [Al Ahram] Militants who launched a brazen daylight assault on the Yemeni defence ministry that killed 56 people were mostly Saudis, Sherlocks said on Saturday. The finding, in a preliminary report on the inquiry into Thursday's attack, adds credibility to a claim of responsibility by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which was formed from a merger of the jihadist network's Saudi and Yemeni branches. Investigators said the assailants wore military fatigues and penetrated the sprawling Sanaa complex in the confusion created when a jacket wallah rammed a vehicle into the gate. They said the bodies of 12 attackers were recovered after security forces regained control of the area. A hospital in the complex bore the brunt of the assault. Among the dead were medics from the Philippines, Germany, Vietnam and India. Civilian patients as well as soldiers were also killed, Yemen's supreme security committee said. On Friday Al-Qaeda said it was behind the assault, alleging that the complex hosted US personnel behind drone strikes against its hard boys. There was no immediate evidence to support that claim. Speaking to AFP on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Bahrain, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Kurbi said the findings represent "a possibility, but there is no evidence "We should wait for the final results of the investigation," he said. Yemeni analyst Saeed al-Jamhi, who specialises in Al-Qaeda affairs, said the attack reflects "the level of the network's penetration into security and military services" and shows it has access to "high-level information". The attack followed a spate of hit-and-run strikes on military personnel and officials, as the country struggles to complete a thorny political transition. But Kurbi insisted that the attacks "do not threaten the transition process". "Al-Qaeda takes advantage of any political vacuum. I hope this latest attack will press participants to double their efforts to ensure the success of the national dialogue," he said. Yemen has been going through a difficult political transition since veteran president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... stood down in February 2012 after a year of deadly protests against his 33-year rule. The transitional process aims to produce a new constitution, paving the way for parliamentary and presidential elections in February, but many hurdles remain. There are growing demands for the secession of the formerly independent south, in addition to on-off fighting in the north between Shia Musselmen rebels and hardline Sunnis. The national dialogue that began in March and was originally due wrap up in September has yet to conclude. "What's important is to finalise the specific task -- agreeing on a constitution, a referendum and elections," Kurbi said. AQAP took advantage of a decline in central government control during Yemen's 2011 uprising to seize large swathes of territory across the south. The bully boyz were driven back in June 2012 and the group has since been further weakened by US drone strikes |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Ah yes, Yemen. Isn't that the country whose Flag features a Date tree in the middle of nowhere, a Camel seen from behind and two crossed razors ( not meant for shaving your face ) on a field of dull dirty yellow? The land of no shoes and big noses. The people look strangely like their Camels after a few generations. How could they ''tell" the assault was by Saudis BTW? Was it the shape or the size of their large noses ( which may have differed somewhat from the local inhabitants ) or something else? |
| Posted by: Spereting Tingle4064 2013-12-08 03:58 |