Yemeni al-Qaeda crackdown
Encyclopedia
The Yemeni al-Qaeda crackdown refers to military operations by the Yemeni government and the United States
government against al Qaeda and related targets in Yemen
as part of the Global War on Terror. The crackdown began in 2001 and escalated on January 14, 2010 when Yemen
declared open war on al Qaeda. In addition to fighting against al Qaeda in several provinces, Yemen is also battling a northern Shi'ite insurgency
and trying to contain separatists in the south
.
, by militants coming from Yemeni soil. Previous attacks linked to al Qaeda in Yemen include the 2000 bombing
of the USS Cole
, the 2008 American Embassy attack
, and several attacks against foreign tourists.
Yemen had already intensified operations against al Qaeda in late 2009 when a Yemen-based wing of the group claimed to be behind the failed December 25, 2009 attempt to blow up
a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner, itself a retaliation against an attack against a training camp in Abyan on 17 December, killing many civilians. News reports have indicated substantial American involvement in Yemeni operations against al Qaeda since late 2009, including training, intelligence sharing, "several dozen troops" from the Joint Special Operations Command, and direct involvement.
controlled by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
. Several activists including local leaders of Al Qaeda were killed during the clashes. On August 25 Yemeni authorities claimed to regain control of the southern town of Loder, a great part of which was in the grip of suspected Al-Qaeda militants during days of clashes with the army.
On September 21: Al-Qaeda militants besieged in the southern Yemeni town of Hota are using residents as human shields in the second major clash between them and troops in recent weeks, an official said on Tuesday. "Al-Qaeda elements are preventing residents from leaving Hota, to use them as human shields," a security official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Yemeni army destroyed five homes suspected of hiding al Qaeda militants Tuesday as a siege of a southern village entered its second day, but officials denied reports that U.S.-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki
was among those surrounded, the AP reported. Earlier Tuesday, an unofficial website run by government opponents, Alganob.net, had reported that al-Awlaki had been surrounded. But the chief municipal official in the area, Atiq Baouda, and the security officials denied that he was in the area under siege. The Yemeni army refused to comment on the operation. A Yemeni news website reported Tuesday that state security forces had surrounded a group of suspected al Qaeda leaders in a south Yemen village, possibly including American-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.
On September 22 Al-Qaida militants holed up in a village in south Yemen on Wednesday fought off repeated attempts by government troops backed by tanks and heavy artillery to retake the besieged town, officials said. A military official said the militants are using sniper fire and land mines to keep the soldiers at bay, forcing the army to adjust its tactics. In one attempt, Yemeni troops tried to repel from helicopters into the village but met with fierce resistance, two Hawta residents said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they fear for their security. They said four soldiers were wounded and were rushed away in ambulances. In another attempt, six soldiers were wounded by militant sniper fire as they tried to mount barricades put up by the militants on the town's outskirts, local officials said. Medical officials confirmed that nine soldiers are being treated at the provincial hospital. This was reported by the AP
On September 24 a government siege of al-Hota ends after security forces take control of the town in the southern province of Shabwa.
in November 2002, with the cooperation and approval of the government of Yemen.
A CIA-controlled high-altitude Predator drone fired a Hellfire
missile at an SUV in the Yemeni desert containing Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi
, a Yemeni suspected senior al-Qaeda
lieutenant believed to have been the mastermind behind the October 2000 USS Cole bombing
that killed 17 Americans. He was on a list of targets whose capture or death had been called for by President George W. Bush
. In addition to al-Harethi, five other occupants of the SUV were killed, all of whom were suspected al-Qaeda terrorists, and one of whom (Kamal Derwish) was an American.
In May 2010 an errant US drone attack targeting al Qaeda terrorists in Wadi Abida, Yemen killed five people, among them Jaber al-Shabwani, deputy governor of Maarib province who was mediating between the government and the militants. The killing so angered Shabwani's tribesmen that in the subsequent weeks they fought heavily with government security forces, twice attacking a major oil pipeline in Maarib.
According to The Times
, in 2010 the US, in cooperation with Yemeni officials, launched four cruise missiles at suspected terrorist targets in Yemen. The strikes reportedly killed 200 civilians and 40 terrorists. According to the Times, Yemen asked the US to suspend the strikes after one of the missiles killed a pro-Yemeni tribal leader, Sheikh Jaber al-Shabwani, the deputy governor of Marib province, resulting in his tribe turning against the Yemeni government. The Times also stated that US special forces troops were on the ground in Yemen helping to hunt al-Qaeda operatives.
On 3 June 2011 American manned jets or drones attacked and killed Abu Ali al-Harithi, a midlevel al-Qaeda operative, and several other militant suspects in a strike in southern Yemen. Four civilians were also reportedly killed in the strike. The strike was reportedly coordinated by American special forces and CIA operatives based in Sana. According to the Associated Press
, in 2011 the US government began building an airbase near or in Yemen from which the CIA and US military plans to operate drones over Yemen.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government against al Qaeda and related targets in Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
as part of the Global War on Terror. The crackdown began in 2001 and escalated on January 14, 2010 when Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
declared open war on al Qaeda. In addition to fighting against al Qaeda in several provinces, Yemen is also battling a northern Shi'ite insurgency
Sa'dah insurgency
The Shia Insurgency in Yemen, also known as the Houthi rebellion, Sa'dah War or Sa'dah conflict is a civil war in Northern Yemen. It began in June 2004 when dissident cleric Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, head of the Shia Zaidiyyah sect, launched an uprising against the Yemeni government...
and trying to contain separatists in the south
South Yemen insurgency (2009–present)
The South Yemen insurgency is a term used by the Yemeni government to describe the protests and attacks on government forces in southern Yemen, ongoing since 27 April 2009 on South Yemen's independence day...
.
Background
Yemen has come under pressure to act against al Qaeda since attacks on its two main allies, Saudi Arabia and the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, by militants coming from Yemeni soil. Previous attacks linked to al Qaeda in Yemen include the 2000 bombing
USS Cole bombing
The USS Cole Bombing, or the USS Cole Incident, was a suicide attack against the United States Navy destroyer on October 12, 2000 while it was harbored and refueled in the Yemeni port of Aden. Seventeen American sailors were killed, and 39 were injured...
of the USS Cole
USS Cole (DDG-67)
The second USS Cole is an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis-equipped guided missile destroyer homeported in NS Norfolk, Virginia. The Cole is named in honor of Marine Sergeant Darrell S. Cole, a machine-gunner killed in action on Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945, during World War II...
, the 2008 American Embassy attack
2008 American Embassy attack in Yemen
The 2008 American Embassy attack in Yemen in Sana'a, Yemen on September 17, 2008 resulted in 19 deaths and 16 injuries. Six attackers, six Yemeni police, and seven civilians were killed. This attack was the second occurring in the same year, after a mortar attack earlier in 2008 on March 18...
, and several attacks against foreign tourists.
Yemen had already intensified operations against al Qaeda in late 2009 when a Yemen-based wing of the group claimed to be behind the failed December 25, 2009 attempt to blow up
Northwest Airlines Flight 253
Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was an international passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands, to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan, United States...
a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner, itself a retaliation against an attack against a training camp in Abyan on 17 December, killing many civilians. News reports have indicated substantial American involvement in Yemeni operations against al Qaeda since late 2009, including training, intelligence sharing, "several dozen troops" from the Joint Special Operations Command, and direct involvement.
Timeline
- December 17, 2009: Yemeni ground forces carried out raids in Sana'a (arresting 13), Arhab (killing 4 and arresting 4), and attacked an alleged training camp in Al-Maajala, Abyan, killing 24–50, including 14 women and 21 children. According to ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, American cruise missiles were also part of the raids. The U.S. denied they were involved in the strikes, despite evidence from Amnesty International.
- December 24: U.S. drones or missiles struck an al Qaeda meeting in Shabwa, killing some 30 individuals. One target of the strike was Anwar al-AwlakiAnwar al-AwlakiAnwar al-Awlaki was an American and Yemeni imam who was an engineer and educator by training. According to U.S. government officials, he was a senior talent recruiter and motivator who was involved with planning operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda...
.
- January 4, 2010: Yemeni security forces killed two alleged militants a day earlier north of the capital.
- January 6: Yemeni forces arrested three suspected al-Qaeda militants who were wounded in a raid, that was carried out by security forces.
- January 13: Yemeni army launches Operation Blow to the HeadOperation Blow to the HeadOperation Blow to the Head was a Yemeni military operation against the militants in the insurgent Yemeni town of Sa'dah in Sa'dah Province. The Yemeni government troops began trying to capture the town on January 13, 2010. On that day the Islamic militant Abdullah al-Mehdar was killed by Yemeni...
in Sa'dahSa'dahSa`dah is the capital city of Saada Governorate in north-western Yemen. It is located at , at an elevation of about 1,800 meters. Known in antiquity as Karna, its population in 2004 was estimated at 51,870.- External links :*...
city, aimed at both Sunni al-Qaeda and Shi'a Houthi fighters, in which al-Qaeda leader Abdullah al-Mehdar was killed.
- January 14: A Yemen army air strike has killed at least six suspected al-Qaeda fighters in the north of the country, a Yemeni security official said.
- January 17: A radical Islamist Somali group claimed it was exchanging some of its fighters with those in Yemen. Yemeni militants are reportedly also sending fighters in return. This exchange in fighters shows the close links it has with the country of Yemen, an al-Shabab spokesman said.
- January 20: The Yemeni air force bombed the home of a suspected al-Qaeda leader, Ayed al-Shabwani, who the military had claimed was dead a week before this bombing. The attack on his home was reportedly met with anti-aircraft fire from his village. No figure on casualties has been released, for this latest attack.
- January 21: In order to "halt terrorist infiltration", Yemen decided to only issue visas through embassies, ceasing the practice of issuing visas to foreigners when they land at Yemeni airports.
- February 8: Al-Qaeda leader Said Ali al-ShihriSaid Ali al-ShihriSa'id Ali Jabir Al Khathim Al Shihri was a Saudi Arabian deputy leader of the militant group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and possibly involved in the kidnappings and murders of foreigners in Yemen...
released an online audio message calling for jihad in the Arabian PeninsulaArabian PeninsulaThe Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
.
- March 16: Two Al-Qaeda militants who were killed in Yemen due to air raids carried out by the Yemen air force have been identified, government officials have said. A third suspected senior militant had also reportedly been killed in these raids. These bombing raids were carried out in the southern province of Abyan. It has been reported that these militants were connected to the failed bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner last year. However it is not clear how many other people were killed in these air strikes.
- August 25: Gunmen on motorcycles attacked a military patrol in Yemen's restive south on Wednesday, killing four soldiers and wounding one, a security official said. The official said an early investigation indicated the attackers were members of al-Qaida, which lately appears to have stepped up high-profile attacks in the south of this impoverished country. He did not provide details. The attack occurred in the Abyan provincial capital of Zinjibar and brought to 53 the number of soldiers killed by al-Qaida since May, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
- January 8, 2011: Armed suspected Al Qaeda militants attacked a Yemeni army checkpoint in Lahj killing 4 soldiers a day after 12 soldiers were killed in an ambush in Lawdar.
- March 6, 2011: Armed suspected Al Qaeda gunmen shoot dead 4 soldiers from the elite Republican Guard as they passed in a truck near Marib.
- March 26, 2011: Al Qaeda captured the town of Jaar in the South of Yemen.
- March 27, 2011: Al Qaeda militants captured the town of al-Husn, the strategic mountain of Khanfar, and a weapons factory. Fighting in Jaar captured the day prior is being reported.
- May 27, 2011: Al Qaeda militants capturedBattle of ZinjibarThe Battle of Zinjibar is a battle during the 2011 Yemeni uprising between forces loyal to Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh and Islamist militant forces, possibly including elements of al-Qaeda, for control of the town of Zinjibar and its surroundings as part of the wider insurgency in the...
the capital city of Abyan Governorate, ZinjibarZinjibarZinjibar is a port and coastal town in south-central Yemen, the capital of Zinjibar District and the Abyan Governorate. It is located next to the Wadi Bana in the Abyan Delta. From 1962 to 1967, it was the administrative capital of the Fadhli Sultanate, although the royal residence remained at...
, the village of Ar RawdahAr Rawdah, AbyanAr rawdah is a village in south-western Yemen. It is located in the Abyan Governorate.-External links:*...
, the village of Shuqrah and Houtah in the Shabwah GovernorateShabwah GovernorateShabwah is a governorate of Yemen. Its main town is Ataq.-Districts:*Ain District*Al Talh District*Ar Rawdah District*Arma District*As Said District*Ataq District*Bayhan District*Dhar District*Habban District*Hatib District...
. At last 217 Yemeni soldiers, between 282 and 335 Al Qaeda militants and 45 civilians were killed. The group seized 30 police cars after two police camps surrendered to them and destroyed 3 tanks.
- September 30, 2011: Anwar al-AwlakiAnwar al-AwlakiAnwar al-Awlaki was an American and Yemeni imam who was an engineer and educator by training. According to U.S. government officials, he was a senior talent recruiter and motivator who was involved with planning operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda...
was killed by a drone strike launched by the US which successfully killed him, Samir KhanSamir KhanSamir ibn Zafar Khan was the Pakistani American editor and publisher of Inspire magazine, an English language online magazine reported to be published by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula , in which he authored articles such as "Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom"...
and a few other militants as it turned out they were driving to get some breakfast and all were in their car when the strike took their lives.
Battle of Lawdar
Between 19 and 25 August 2010 the Yemeni army launched a major offensive in the city of LawdarLawdar
Lawdar is a town and seat of Lawdar District in south-western Yemen. It is located in the Abyan Governorate. It is served by Lawdar Airport.-History:...
controlled by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is a militant Islamist organization, primarily active in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. It was named for al-Qaeda, and says it is subordinate to that group and its now-deceased leader Osama bin Laden, a Saudi citizen whose father was born in Yemen...
. Several activists including local leaders of Al Qaeda were killed during the clashes. On August 25 Yemeni authorities claimed to regain control of the southern town of Loder, a great part of which was in the grip of suspected Al-Qaeda militants during days of clashes with the army.
Timeline
- Thursday 19: 2 soldiers were killed and two others wounded.
- Friday 20: 11 soldiers killed, two civilians killed and 4 injured.
- Sunday 22: 7 members of al-qaida killed.
- Monday, August 23: a local leader of al-qaida killed.
- Wednesday, August 25: Yemen regains control of the town.
Battle of Huta
On September 20: They begin siege of the town. Also US President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan visited Yemen Monday and discussed cooperation in the fight against Al-Qaeda, the White House said.Brennan met President Ali Abdullah Saleh and delivered a letter from Obama expressing US support for a "unified, stable, democratic and prosperous Yemen," National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement."President Saleh and Mr Brennan discussed cooperation against the continuing threat of Al-Qaeda, and Mr Brennan conveyed the United States' condolences to the Yemeni people for the loss of Yemeni security officers and citizens killed in recent Al-Qaeda attacks," Hammer said.On September 21: Al-Qaeda militants besieged in the southern Yemeni town of Hota are using residents as human shields in the second major clash between them and troops in recent weeks, an official said on Tuesday. "Al-Qaeda elements are preventing residents from leaving Hota, to use them as human shields," a security official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Yemeni army destroyed five homes suspected of hiding al Qaeda militants Tuesday as a siege of a southern village entered its second day, but officials denied reports that U.S.-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki was an American and Yemeni imam who was an engineer and educator by training. According to U.S. government officials, he was a senior talent recruiter and motivator who was involved with planning operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda...
was among those surrounded, the AP reported. Earlier Tuesday, an unofficial website run by government opponents, Alganob.net, had reported that al-Awlaki had been surrounded. But the chief municipal official in the area, Atiq Baouda, and the security officials denied that he was in the area under siege. The Yemeni army refused to comment on the operation. A Yemeni news website reported Tuesday that state security forces had surrounded a group of suspected al Qaeda leaders in a south Yemen village, possibly including American-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.
On September 22 Al-Qaida militants holed up in a village in south Yemen on Wednesday fought off repeated attempts by government troops backed by tanks and heavy artillery to retake the besieged town, officials said. A military official said the militants are using sniper fire and land mines to keep the soldiers at bay, forcing the army to adjust its tactics. In one attempt, Yemeni troops tried to repel from helicopters into the village but met with fierce resistance, two Hawta residents said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they fear for their security. They said four soldiers were wounded and were rushed away in ambulances. In another attempt, six soldiers were wounded by militant sniper fire as they tried to mount barricades put up by the militants on the town's outskirts, local officials said. Medical officials confirmed that nine soldiers are being treated at the provincial hospital. This was reported by the AP
On September 24 a government siege of al-Hota ends after security forces take control of the town in the southern province of Shabwa.
US drone and cruise missile attacks
The U.S. first said it used targeted killingTargeted killing
Targeted killing is the deliberate, specific targeting and killing, by a government or its agents, of a supposed terrorist or of a supposed "unlawful combatant" who is not in that government's custody...
in November 2002, with the cooperation and approval of the government of Yemen.
A CIA-controlled high-altitude Predator drone fired a Hellfire
Hellfire
Hellfire may refer to:* The fires of Hell or lake of fire, terms used to describe Hell-In music:* "Hell Fire" a heavy metal/speed metal band Formed by Tony Campos in the spring of 2010. Hell Fire taking it back to influences such as Iron Maiden, Helloween, Metallica, Angel Witch, Overkill etc...
missile at an SUV in the Yemeni desert containing Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi
Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi
Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi aka Abu Ali al-Harithi was an al-Qaida operative and a citizen of Yemen who is suspected to have been the mastermind behind the October 2000 USS Cole bombing....
, a Yemeni suspected senior al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
lieutenant believed to have been the mastermind behind the October 2000 USS Cole bombing
USS Cole bombing
The USS Cole Bombing, or the USS Cole Incident, was a suicide attack against the United States Navy destroyer on October 12, 2000 while it was harbored and refueled in the Yemeni port of Aden. Seventeen American sailors were killed, and 39 were injured...
that killed 17 Americans. He was on a list of targets whose capture or death had been called for by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. In addition to al-Harethi, five other occupants of the SUV were killed, all of whom were suspected al-Qaeda terrorists, and one of whom (Kamal Derwish) was an American.
In May 2010 an errant US drone attack targeting al Qaeda terrorists in Wadi Abida, Yemen killed five people, among them Jaber al-Shabwani, deputy governor of Maarib province who was mediating between the government and the militants. The killing so angered Shabwani's tribesmen that in the subsequent weeks they fought heavily with government security forces, twice attacking a major oil pipeline in Maarib.
According to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, in 2010 the US, in cooperation with Yemeni officials, launched four cruise missiles at suspected terrorist targets in Yemen. The strikes reportedly killed 200 civilians and 40 terrorists. According to the Times, Yemen asked the US to suspend the strikes after one of the missiles killed a pro-Yemeni tribal leader, Sheikh Jaber al-Shabwani, the deputy governor of Marib province, resulting in his tribe turning against the Yemeni government. The Times also stated that US special forces troops were on the ground in Yemen helping to hunt al-Qaeda operatives.
On 3 June 2011 American manned jets or drones attacked and killed Abu Ali al-Harithi, a midlevel al-Qaeda operative, and several other militant suspects in a strike in southern Yemen. Four civilians were also reportedly killed in the strike. The strike was reportedly coordinated by American special forces and CIA operatives based in Sana. According to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, in 2011 the US government began building an airbase near or in Yemen from which the CIA and US military plans to operate drones over Yemen.
External links
- Yemen: A Fragile Unity
- Al-Qaeda in Yemen: Renaissance of Terror
- After Thwarted Bomb Plot, US Military Operations in Yemen Could Intensify - video report by Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...