10 killed in attacks on Yemeni Shiites celebration

map by Evan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com)

SANAA, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- More than 10 people were killed Saturday night in two separate ambushes on Houthi followers during a Shiite religious celebration in northern Yemen, an official of the Interior Ministry told Xinhua.

At least nine people were confirmed dead and dozens of others wounded when tribal gunmen fired at a crowd walking through a Sunni-dominated al-Khalk district in al-Jouf province late Saturday, after they attended the annual celebration of Eid al- Ghadir in neighboring province of Saada, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Another one was killed and several others injured when rocket- propelled grenades hit a convoy of the Shiite celebrators on Saturday night near al-Ghail area in al-Jouf, the official said.

The celebration, which Shiites believe that Prophet Mohammad nominated his cousin Ali to be his successor, was organized by Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the leader of the Shiite-Houthi group based in Saada.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.

In 2010, the Sunni al-Qaida militants claimed responsibility for twin suicide car bombings on the Shiite followers in al-Jouf and Saada, which left more than 90 people dead, including the group's spiritual leader Bader al-Deen al-Houthi.

Last week, the Yemeni Defense Ministry said a drone strike killed at least three al-Qaida operatives, including two Saudi fugitives, in a desert valley in Saada.

Saada, bordering top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, is also a stronghold of Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who have been controlling most parts of the province since they signed a cease- fire deal with the Yemeni government in August 2010 that ended an on-and-off war since 2004.

The Shiite then got involved in sectarian clashes with local armed Sunni tribesmen, which rocked the northern regions and forced thousands of Sunni local residents to flee the conflict to remote areas.

The well-armed Houthis have agreed to join a United Nations- sponsored reconciliation national dialogue planned by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi this month.

Rival Islamic militants exploited security vacuum during Yemen' s political upheaval last year and captured swaths of remote lands.


from XINHUA
Editor: Lu Hui
2012-11-04 15:59:34

Related articles

• 10 killed in attacks on Yemeni Shiites celebration (nzweek.com)

Read More

US drones kill 4 AQAP fighters in rare strike in northern Yemen

By Bill Roggio - October 28, 2012 - LWJ

US drones killed four al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in the first strike recorded against the terror group in northern Yemen. A local al Qaeda commander was targeted, and two Saudis are thought to be among those killed.
The unmanned Predators or Reapers fired several missiles at two compounds in the Abu Jabara area of Saada province today, Yemeni security officials and tribesmen told Reuters, which reported that four "militants" were killed. A local AQAP commander known as Hadi al Tais was said to be the target of the airstrike; it is unclear if he was killed.
According to The Associated Press, three AQAP fighters, including two Saudis, were killed in the attack that targeted a compound of "a wanted al Qaeda militant from another Yemeni province."
The strike is the first recorded against AQAP in northern Yemen since the US began targeting the terror group in late 2009. All of the other strikes have targeted AQAP's network and fighters in the southern provinces.
Saada is a hotspot where local Salafist groups, backed by AQAP and the government, battle the Houthis, a Shia separatist group that is supported by Iran. The Houthis, who are based in Al Jawf and Saada, have been fighting the Sunni government for years. In 2010, the Houthis also clashed with Saudi security forces along the northern border. Hundreds of Houthi fighters and Saudi troops were killed in the fighting.
In early December 2011, AQAP officially declared war on the Houthis. Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish, al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula's Mufti, issued the announcement and called the Shia a "virus" on the Sunni people. Rubaish was held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility before he was released in 2006. AQAP has conducted several suicide attacks against the Houthis, including an attack in December 2011 that killed a military commander, and another that killed 17 people, including a top Houthi leader and his son.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/10/us_drones_kill_4_aqa_1.php#ixzz2AeB1mAsP

Read More

Seven soldiers, two Shi'ite rebels killed in clashes in north Yemen

SANAA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- At least seven Yemeni soldiers and two Shi'ite rebels were killed in clashes on Thursday in the northern restive province of Amran, a provincial security official said.

"Lieutenant Colonel Nashwan al-Kiliby, head of the 4th battalion of the 103 infantry brigade, and six of his bodyguards were killed in clashes after they refused to hand over their military vehicle and personal firearms to the rebels," the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

While, the Defense Ministry accused the rebel group of launching aggression against the army personnel.

The gunfight took place in Amran's district of Harf Sufyan at a checkpoint manned by the rebels, known also as Houthis after the name of their leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi, said the official.

Abdulmalik al-Houthi said two of his fighters were killed and five others wounded in the shootout which is "unjustified brutal aggression on his followers."

"We advise the members of the armed forces to reject any orders to carry out such hostile act of aggression against the people," said al-Houthi in a statement released by his media office.

Amran province, about 50 km north of the capital Sanaa, has recently witnessed a deadly sectarian fighting between the Houthi- led Shi'ite rebels and Sunni fundamentalists over the few past months.

On Aug. 26, 2010, the Yemeni government and the Shi'ite group signed an agreement in Qatar to cement a fragile cease-fire to end an on-and-off war since 2004, but the rebels' clashes with local tribesmen are still rocking the region.

Beside Amran, Houthis also have been engaging in severe sectarian conflicts for several months with Sunni groups in Saada and neighboring provinces of Hajja and al-Jouf that left hundreds of people killed and forced thousands of residents to flee their villages.

Exploiting one-year-old protests against former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the rebels have been trying to expand their control over the country's northern provinces, according to government officials.

Last month, the Houthis publicly denounced the legitimacy of a political-settlement deal that swore in the country's consensus President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and ended almost a year of protests against Saleh.

Hadi promised to launch a national dialogue involving Houthi group and other small opposing factions to settle the political crisis that had almost dragged the impoverished Arab country to the edge of civil war.

Read More