Al Qaeda Militants Launch An Attack Against The Presidential Compound In Yemen

Gunfight Erupts Between Yemen Presidential Guards, Militants -- Voice of America

In Yemen, witnesses say a gunfight broke out Friday between militants and security guards outside the presidential palace.

News reports quote unidentified security sources as saying at least four of the security forces were killed after being attacked by the militants and exchanging fire for more than 20 minutes.

Yemen's army has been carrying out an offensive against al-Qaida militants in the country's volatile south.

Al-Qaida fighters reportedly also attacked Yemen's defense minister Friday in an apparent assassination attempt.

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More News On Yemen's War Against Al Qaeda

Yemen soldiers killed near Sanaa presidential palace -- BBC
4 Yemeni soldiers killed in gunfight with militants near presidential palace -- Reuters
Fatal gunfight near Yemen presidential palace -- Al Jazeera
Gun battle breaks out at Yemeni presidential palace -- AFP
Militants kill four Yemeni soldiers -- The Guardian
Al Qaeda-linked militants killed by Yemeni security forces -- CNN
6 Yemeni Soldiers Killed in Fighting Against Al-Qaeda Fighters -- Al Jazeera
Yemen's defense minister escapes al Qaeda assassination bid: security source -- Reuters
Yemen defense minister escapes Al-Qaida ambush -- Bloomberg Businessweek/AP

Yemen's War Against Al Qaeda Militants Intensifies In The South Of The Country

Yemen Air Force, Troops Kill 62 Militants -- Chicago Tribune/Reuters

* Official says Lawdar fight a turning point against
militants
* Defence Ministry says militant checkpoints destroyed
* Ministry says Saudi, Pakistani and Somalis among dead

ADEN, April 11 (Reuters) - Yemen's air force and ground
troops killed at least 62 suspected al Qaeda-linked fighters on
Wednesday, officials and tribal sources said, in the
government's latest drive to contain an increasingly fierce
Islamist insurgency.

Militant group Ansar al-Sharia said however only two of its
fighters had been killed in Wednesday's clashes.

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More News On Yemen's War Against Al Qaeda Militants

Yemen unrest: Militants killed near Lawdar -- BBC
Fighting in Yemen Kills 31 -- Wall Street Journal
Yemeni Army Kills 10 Al-Qaeda Suspects in Fighting in Abyan -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Islamists fight army in central, south Yemen, 21 killed -- Reuters
Third day of fighting in Yemen's south kills 31 -- Houston Chronicle/AP
At least 32 killed as Yemen battles Qaeda for key town -- AFP

My Comment: Casualty totals are only coming from the government .... which probably explains the wide variation in casualty numbers. But there is no question on one thing .... there is a lot of fighting in the region.

Heavy Clashes Reported Between Yemeni Forces And Al Qaeda Militants

Yemen Unrest: Deadly Attack On Southern Army Base -- BBC

At least 18 militants and nine soldiers have been killed in an attack by an al-Qaeda-linked group on an army outpost in southern Yemen, officials say.

Members of Ansar al-Sharia launched the raid near Lawdar, a town in Abyan province about 120km (75 miles) north-west of the port city of Aden, at dawn.

Later, at least three militants were reportedly killed when the military bombed a checkpoint elsewhere in Abyan.

Islamist militants began taking control of parts of the province last year.

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More News On Heavy Clashes Being Reported Between Yemeni Forces And Al Qaeda Militants

Yemen: 44 killed in clashes with al-Qaida fighters -- AP
Yemen says 44 killed in new Qaeda assault -- AFP
Yemeni army clashes with Islamists in south, 38 killed -- Euronews/Reuters
23 die in al Qaida clashes in Yemen -- Press Association
38 killed after Yemeni army clashes with Islamists in south -- Globe and Mail
More than 20 dead in Yemeni fighting -- UPI

Yemen 's Troubles Continue

Yemen's 15 Minutes of Fame -- Foreign Policy

The world's attention may have moved on since January, but that doesn't mean the country's problems have disappeared.

Remember Yemen? For a few short weeks this winter, after the Yemen-trained Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried (and failed) to blow up a commercial airliner in Detroit, the troubled country found itself under a rare media spotlight. Journalists descended on the capital, Sanaa; pundits offered advice for fighting al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ending Yemen's two insurgencies. Congress called hearings. Yemen's foreign minister, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, was a regular guest on international news networks.

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More News on Yemen

Hard tasks ahead as Yemen truce holds -- AFP
U.S. supports Yemeni terrorism fight -- UPI
U.S. Gives Yemen Arms, Development to Fight Al-Qaeda -- Business Week
Yemen Finally Admits al Qaeda Strike Killed 47 Civilians -- Jawa Report
Separatist leader killed in south Yemen -- AFP
Yemen raid kills southern activist, family -- AP
Religious schools under scrutiny in Yemen -- Reuters
Aid Programs In Northern Yemen Under Threat -- Voice of America
Former South Yemen leader says unity failed - report -- Reuters
ANALYSIS - Yemen truce a respite, war may spiral again -- Reuters

Yemen Civil War News Updates -- January 27, 2010

U.S. Military Teams, Intelligence Deeply Involved In Aiding Yemen On Strikes -- Washington Post

U.S. military teams and intelligence agencies are deeply involved in secret joint operations with Yemeni troops who in the past six weeks have killed scores of people, among them six of 15 top leaders of a regional al-Qaeda affiliate, according to senior administration officials.

The operations, approved by President Obama and begun six weeks ago, involve several dozen troops from the U.S. military's clandestine Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), whose main mission is tracking and killing suspected terrorists. The American advisers do not take part in raids in Yemen, but help plan missions, develop tactics and provide weapons and munitions. Highly sensitive intelligence is being shared with the Yemeni forces, including electronic and video surveillance, as well as three-dimensional terrain maps and detailed analysis of the al-Qaeda network.

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More News On Yemen

Report: US Involved in Secret Operations in Yemen -- Voice of America
Obama approved secret operations in Yemen - report -- Reuters
Obama Approved Secret Operations in Yemen to Eliminate al Queda Leaders -- US Politics Daily
US military involved in Yemen operations: report -- AFP
Report: U.S. involved in Yemen operations -- UPI
JSOC in Yemen -- Politico

Britain Hosts Meeting on Yemen With Underlying Focus on Terrorism -- Voice of America
Nations Meet to Discuss Yemen -- Wall Street Journal
World powers to boost Yemen to better fight terror -- Washington Post
Global Summit on Yemen to Begin -- BBC News
U.S. to Join Talks on Helping Yemen -- New York Times
FACTBOX-London meeting to raise Yemen's hopes -- Reuters

Saudi-Houthi border fighting ends -- Al Jazeera
Saudi troops 'forced Yemen rebels from their soil' -- BBC
Yemen Shiite rebels chased out of Saudi: minister -- AFP
Saudi says achieved victory over Yemen rebels -- Reuters

U.S. military actions in Yemen praised, scorned -- Washington Post
Yemen's Terror Threat -- Joshua Schoen, FOX News

Yemen Declares War Against Al Qaeda

A general view of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Wednesday. Photo from CNN

Yemen In War With Al Qaeda, Urges Citizens To Help -- Yahoo News/Reuters

SANAA (Reuters) – Yemen declared open war on al Qaeda on Thursday and warned its citizens against aiding the global militant group, but Islamist clerics threatened jihad if foreign military forces intervene.

Yemen has come under pressure to act against al Qaeda since attacks on its two main allies, Saudi Arabia and the United States, by militants coming from Yemeni soil.

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More News On The Conflict In Yemen

Yemen declares 'open war' on al-Qaeda -- The Telegraph
Yemen treads fine line against al-Qaeda -- BBC
Yemen on offensive against Qaeda: security chief -- AFP
Saudi Arabia's untested military finds the going slow against Yemen's battle-hardened rebels -- Canadian Press

In Yemen, 158 clerics vow jihad against US military intervention -- Christian Science Monitor
Clerics in Yemen warn of jihad if US sends troops -- Washington Post/AP
Yemen clerics warn against foreign meddling -- CBC

US should consider drones, air attacks in Yemen: Senator -- AFP
U.S. senator: consider air strikes on militants in Yemen -- Reuters
GOP Lawmaker Fears Radicalization of Americans in Yemen -- FOX News

In Yemen, soldiers kill al-Qaeda leader and militant ambush kills 2 troops -- Washington Post
Reports: Al Qaeda leader killed in Yemen -- CNN
Police Kill Al-Qaeda Leader in South Yemen -- Yemen Post
Al-Qaeda leader 'killed in Yemen' -- The Age
Hunt for al-Qaeda intensifies in Yemen -- Asia Times
'Credible threat' from al Qaeda in Yemen -- CNN
Yemen: 10 Shiite gunmen killed in clashes -- Al Bawaba

Yemen Kidnappers Seek $2 Million for Foreigners -- Voice of America
Ransom demand for Yemen hostages: report -- AFP
Somali Refugee Growth Poses Challenges for Yemen -- Voice of America

ANALYSIS - Yemen crackdown may not stunt al Qaeda's appeal -- Reuters
Q+A-Yemen's al Qaeda wing gains global notoriety -- Reuters
How to Apply 'Smart Power' in Yemen -- Frederick W. Kagan And Christopher Harnisch, Wall StreetJjournal

Fleeing One Hell To Another Hell

Somalis Fleeing To Yemen Prompt New Worries In Fight Against Al-Qaeda -- Washington Post

KHARAZ, YEMEN -- Thousands of Somali boys and teenagers fleeing war and chaos at home are sailing to Yemen, where officials who have long welcomed Somali refugees now worry that the new arrivals could become the next generation of al-Qaeda fighters.

As the United States deepens its counterterrorism operations in Yemen, officials are concerned that extremists could find growing Somali refugee camps fertile ground for recruiting. U.S. and Yemeni authorities also fear that Islamist fighters from Somalia could slip into the country among the throngs of refugees, deepening ties between al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen and the particularly hard-line militants of Somalia.

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More News On The Flow of Refugees to Yemen

Yemen fears Somali refugee militancy -- UPI
Somalia, Like Yemen, Growing as Training Ground for Terrorists -- FOX News
Somalis in Yemen al Qaeda's Next Recruits? -- CBS News

My Comment: Yemen has a 50% unemployment rate, poverty and destitution, and a civil war ongoing in the north of the country ..... but Somalis still prefer to live there than Somalia.

Makes you realize how bad Somalia (actually) is.

Yemen In Turmoil -- News Updates January 6, 2010

In Yemen's Capital, Fearful Talk Of War With al-Qaeda -- Time Magazine

Shopkeepers are whispering in the medieval, walled Old City in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, about a war they cannot yet imagine. Workers, students and the old men who sit outside the ancient mosques are wondering what fighting between al-Qaeda and the government would look like. Would it be like the conflict in the north, where extremist insurgents occupy villages with gunfire and government bombs rain down from the sky? Is al-Qaeda an army or just a bunch of ill-equipped gangs? "All citizens are scared," says Jamal al-Najjar, an English-language translator, while waiting for a group of foreign journalists at the airport. The visible influx of overseas media, hungry for stories, adds to the sense of crisis.

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More News on Yemen

Yemen probes overstay of alleged airliner attacker -- AFP
Troops sent into al-Qaeda strongholds -- Sydney Morning Herald
Yemen Claims 3 Al-Qaida Militants Captured in Connection with Embassy Threat -- Voice of America
Yemen arrests 3 al Qaeda suspects -- CNN
Yemen rejects direct intervention by foreign troops -- CBC News
Yemen Vows to Tackle al Qaeda, With Help -- CBS News
Former bin Laden bodyguard is among ex-guerrillas in Yemen -- Washington Post
Ex-Bin Laden Bodyguard Calls Yemen Home -- CBS News
Britain's long relationship with Yemen -- BBC
Warning on Yemen aid backlash -- Financial Times

Yemen Goes After Al Qaeda

Yemen Orders Troops Into Al-Qaeda Strongholds -- The Telegraph

Yemen sent thousands of troops into al-Qaeda strongholds across the country yesterday with the launch of a major counter-terrorism operation.

The government announced the drive to tackle the Islamist group's mountain and desert bases in the wake of the failed Detroit bombing and threats to Western embassies.

Government officials said security forces had been sent to Shabwa, Maarib and Abyan, lawless regions in the east and south where the presence of al-Qaeda's local affiliate, al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula, is strongest.

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My Comment: Yemen is involved in a civil war in the north, and a secessionist movement in the south. I do not know where they got the extra troops, but if this story is true it should disrupt Al Qaeda's growing network within the country.

Yemen In Turmoil -- News Updates January 4, 2010

Yemen Crucial To Obama's Vow To Defeat Al Qaeda -- Christian Science Monitor

Due to security threats, the US closed its embassy in Yemen Sunday. The decision points to the strength of Al Qaeda in Yemen – and why the US is stepping up efforts there.

The US embassy in Yemen has closed one day after President Obama confirmed that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the failed Christmas Day bomber of Northwest Flight 253, was trained and equipped in Yemen.

Read more ....

More News On Yemen And Al Qaeda In Yemen

Yemeni Leadership Feared in al Qaeda's Cross Hairs -- Washington Times
Al Qaeda Threat Escalates -- Wall Street Journal
2 al-Qaida Members Killed in Yemen -- Voice of America
Yemen Security Forces Kill Two Al-Qaeda Suspects -- Bloomberg
Yemen Says It Killed Militants as Three More Embassies Shut -- New York Times

Embassies shut after 'Yemen lost track of arms trucks' -- BBC
Threats Led to Embassy Closings in Yemen, Officials Say -- New York Times
Western Embassies in Yemen Shut Down After al-Qaeda Threatens Attack -- Times Online
U.S., U.K. Close Embassies in Yemen Over al-Qaeda Threats -- Washington Post
More embassies halt service in Yemen amid terror threat -- CNN

U.S. Boosts Yemen Anti-Terror Funding -- CBS News
Terrorism fears grow in Yemen -- Toronto Star
Yemen Dismisses Al Qaeda Threat as 'Exaggerated' -- L.A. Times
Yemen rules out US intervention -- Al Jazeera

Commentaries And Analysis

Yemen must not be allowed to fail - media -- BBC
Q+A-Outside powers meddle in Yemen at their peril -- Reuters
Al-Qaeda benefits from a decade of missteps to become a threat in Yemen -- Washington Post
Yemen’s Chaos Aids the Evolution of a Qaeda Cell -- New York Times
Scenes From the War on Terrorism in Yemen -- Ali H. Soufan, New York Times opinion
Yemen's Deteriorating Security, Economy Could Fuel Terrorism -- Christopher Boucek, Washington Post opinion

Yemen In Conflict -- News Updates January 3, 2009

US Shuts Embassy As al-Qaeda 'Plans Attack In Yemen' -- BBC

The US has indications that al-Qaeda is planning an attack in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser has said.

John Brennan was speaking after the US shut its embassy in Yemen. "We're not going to take any chances" with the lives of staff, he said.

Britain also closed its embassy, after threats from an al-Qaeda offshoot which claimed a failed bomb plot in the US.

There are mounting fears that Yemen is becoming a leading al-Qaeda haven.

Read more ....

More News On Yemen

Western embassies close in Yemen after 'direct al-Qaeda threat' -- Times Online
US, British Embassies in Yemen Close Due To al-Qaida Threat -- Voice of America
US shuts Yemen embassy as part of new focus on Al Qaeda -- Christian Science Monitor
US closes its Yemen embassy after Al-Qaeda threats -- AFP
U.S. Closes Embassy in Yemen Over Qaeda Threats -- New York Times/AP
U.S., Britain Shut Embassies in Yemen After Threat -- Politics Daily

Yemen steps up Qaeda fight as top US general pledges support -- AFP
Petraeus Visits Yemen as U.S. Beefs Up Counter-Terror Op -- Wall Street Journal
Post Detroit terror plot, US General Patraeus to Yemen, meets Yemeni President -- Examiner

Houthi Says Saleh Peace Call Positive, Accepts Ceasefire Conditions -- Yemen Post
Yemeni forces clash with Shi'ite rebels, kill 11 -- Reuters
Yemen: Shiite Rebels Offer Talks to Saudis -- New York Times

Obama Links Plane Plot to Al Qaeda in Yemen -- L.A. Times
Obama Ties Airliner Plot to al-Qaeda's Yemeni Affiliate -- Washington Post
Brennan: Some Guantanamo detainees will go to Yemen -- CNN

Yemeni Groups Pose New Set of Terrorism Threats -- L.A. Times
Yemen’s Chaos Aids the Evolution of a Qaeda Cell -- New York Times
Al-Qaeda Benefits From a Decade of Missteps to Become a Threat in Yemen -- Washington Post
Yemen fertile ground to breed terrorists -- The Age

Wartime Challenges of the New Year -- Mark Bowden, Philadelphia Inquirer opinion
Yemen's Deteriorating Security, Economy Could Fuel Terrorism -- Christopher Boucek, Washington Post opinion
Scenes From the War on Terrorism in Yemen -- Ali H. Soufan, New York Times opinion
Yemen's neglected nest of terrorists -- Globe And Mail editorial

U.S. Military Strikes On Al Qaeda In Yemen Are Now Being Planned

Obama Considering Military Strikes After Christmas Day Aircraft Plot -- Times Online

The Pentagon is drawing up urgent plans for increased military co-operation with Yemen, including possible retaliatory strikes against al-Qaeda targets, according to US officials engaged in a high-stakes bid to neutralise Islamist militants without enraging the Arab world.

The Obama Administration, caught out by the Christmas Day attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines aircraft, is reviewing every possible response and has not ruled out military strikes if targets linked directly to the failed attack by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab can be identified.

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More News On U.S. Military Plans To Strike Al Qaeda in Yemen

US plots retaliatory strikes against al-Qaida in Yemen over plane bomber -- The Guardian
Yemeni diplomat: Yemen can carry out airstrikes against al Qaeda -- CNN
Yemen seeks Western support against Al-Qaeda -- AFP
Report: US gears up for attack in Yemen after botched plane attack -- Ynet News
US, Yemen gear up for flight 253 retaliatory strike -- Press TV
US sharply steps up military, economic aid to Yemen -- AFP
U.S. Seeks to Boost Yemen For Expanded Al Qaeda Fight -- New York Times/Reuters

U.S. Getting Ready To Retaliate Against Al Qaeda Targets In Yemen

A Yemeni army helicopter carries out operations against al Qaeda suspects
on December 17 in the Sanaa province.

Officials: U.S., Yemen Reviewing Targets For Possible Strike -- CNN

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. and Yemen are now looking at fresh targets in Yemen for a potential retaliation strike, two senior U.S. officials told CNN Tuesday, in the aftermath of the botched Christmas Day attack on an airliner that al Qaeda in Yemen claims it organized.

The officials asked not to be not be identified because of the sensitive nature of the information. They both stressed the effort is aimed at being ready with options for the White House if President Obama orders a retaliatory strike. The effort is to see whether targets can be specifically linked to the airliner incident and its planning.

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My Comment: This blog has been covering the civil war and conflict in Yemen for the past year, and was one of the first to point out U.S. involvement and support of the Yemeni Government in its civil war. I have also pointed out continuously the dangers that the U.S. has in confronting threats in this region, and why any U.S. military action should only be limited to supporting the regional players who are also our allies in the region.

It appears that this strategy is not going to be the strategy anymore, and the U.S. is now positioning itself to be a major player in one of the most forbidding conflicts in the world. I wish this was not the case, but by positioning its own forces to respond to what is now perceived as a threat to U.S. security, it is only a question of time before we are reading reports of U.S. forces being engaged in missile strikes and commando raids in Yemen.

Dozens Of Suspected Al Qaeda Killed In Yemen Airstrike

Thirty-four suspected Al-Qaeda members were killed in an air raid launched at dawn on Thursday by the Yemeni army. Photo AFP

Yemeni Air Strike Kills 30, Targets Home Of Cleric Linked To Ft. Hood Attack -- Washington Post

SANAA, YEMEN -- Yemeni forces killed at least 30 suspected militants in an air strike early Thursday morning on an alleged al-Qaeda hide-out in southeastern Yemen, the second such assault in the past week, according to Yemeni security and government sources.

The strike appeared to target the home of Anwar al-Aulaqi, the extremist Yemeni-American preacher linked to the suspected gunman in the Fort Hood army base attack in November.

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More News On Yemen

Dozens killed in Yemen air strike on al-Qaeda suspects -- BBC
Report: Dozens of militants killed in Yemen air strike -- CNN
Yemen Says Warplanes Raided al-Qaida Meeting, Killing 30 -- Voice of America
34 suspected Al-Qaeda'killed in Yemen air strike' -- AFP
Factbox: Who is Anwar al-Awlaki? -- National Post
FACTBOX - Yemen targets deadly al Qaeda wing -- Reuters