Onrust Jemen

[KapiteinRob]

Niet belangrijk; valt niets te halen voor ons.

[Lex]

Zware gevechten in hoofdstad Jemen

SANAA - In de hoofdstad Sanaa van Jemen zijn zaterdag zware gevechten uitgebroken tussen troepen loyaal aan president Ali Abdullah Saleh en zijn tegenstanders.

Daarbij vielen zeker 5 doden, meldde de Arabische nieuwszender al-Jazeera.

De doden zouden militairen zijn die zich hebben aangesloten bij de oppositie. Er klonken explosies en zwarte rookwolken hingen boven de stad. Vrijdag werd er ook al hevig gevochten.

Al maanden wordt gedemonstreerd tegen het bewind van Saleh, die al 33 jaar aan de macht is.

© ANP
22 oktober 2011 14:19

[VandeWiel]

SANAA - De politie in Jemen heeft zaterdag het vuur geopend op betogers die het aftreden eisen van president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Zeker zeven actievoerders werden gedood. Tientallen anderen raakten gewond.
Dat hebben medici gemeld. Honderdduizenden demonstranten hadden zich in het centrum van de hoofdstad Sanaa verzameld om een protestmars te houden.

De ordetroepen schoten met scherp en gebruikten traangas en waterkanonnen om de menigte uiteen te drijven.
De gewonden werden naar een veldhospitaal in de 60e Straat in de hoofdstad gebracht, waar duizenden tegenstanders van Saleh al maanden bivakkeren.


Armste land

De president is al meer dan 30 jaar in het armste land van de Arabische wereld aan de macht. Hij heeft al een aantal keren gezegd te willen aftreden, maar heeft daarvan op het laatste moment afgezien.


http://www.nu.nl/buitenland/2642231/ordetroepen-jemen-doden-betogers.html

[Lex]

President Jemen zegt macht op te geven

SANAA - President Ali Abdullah Saleh van Jemen heeft zaterdag op de staatstelevisie gezegd ''in de komende dagen de macht te zullen opgeven''.

Dat meldde het persbureau Reuters. Saleh is al 33 jaar aan de macht.

In het armste land van de Arabische wereld wordt al maanden gedemonstreerd voor het vertrek van Saleh.

Die heeft al eerder ingestemd met voorstellen om op te stappen, maar kwam daar op het laatste moment steeds weer op terug.

© ANP
8  oktober 2011 16:05

[VandeWiel]

Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born radical Islamic preacher who rose to the highest level of al Qaeda's franchise in Yemen, has been killed.

Al-Awlaki, born in New Mexico, has been linked to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's (AQAP) attempted bombing of a U.S. passenger jet over Detroit on Christmas day, 2009, and was thought to be a leader of the group.

A U.S. government official confirms to CBS News senior security correspondent David Martin that al-Awlaki was killed. Yemen's Defense Ministry was first to tell CBS News of the strike, but given previous reports which turned out to be erroneous, the relatively rapid U.S. confirmation is crucial, and bolsters witness accounts that it was a U.S. drone strike that killed the al Qaeda figure.

Anwar al-Awlaki hails rise of "Western jihad"
Video: Anwar al-Awlaki urges attacks on Americans
Amid mayhem, al Qaeda suspects escape from Yemen prison

U.S. officials considered al-Awlaki a most-wanted terror suspect, and added his name last year to the kill or capture list - making him a rare American addition to what is effectively a U.S. government hit-list.

Al-Awlaki's father, who still lives in the U.S., filed a lawsuit against the federal government, claiming his son's civil rights were violated by the U.S. call for his killing.

A federal court dismissed Nasser al-Awlaki's suit on Dec. 7, 2010, on the grounds that he had no legal standing to challenge the targeting of his son.

A statement from Yemen's foreign press office said the al Qaeda suspect "was targeted and killed 8 KM (about 5 miles) from the town of Khashef in the Province of Jawf, 140KM (about 80 miles) east of the Capital Sana'a."

Al-Arabiya television network cited local tribal sources as saying suspected U.S. drone aircraft - which are known to operate in Yemen - fired two missiles Friday at a convoy of vehicles believed to be carrying al-Awlaki and his guards.

There have been previous reports claiming al-Awlaki's death which turned out to be erroneous.

CBS News' Khaled Wassef reports that Al-Awlaki was reported dead following U.S. air strikes on southern Yemen in December 2009 and November 2010. He was also the target of a U.S. drone attack that killed two al Qaeda operatives in southern Yemen on May 5, 2011.

Wassef reports that al-Awlaki last appeared in a video released online in August 2010.

Yemen has risen in recent years to the top of the threat list for U.S. security officials - with AQAP seen as the most active branch of the global terror network in planning attacks against the U.S. homeland.
Al-Awlaki was believed to be a prominent member of the group, taking some role in the planning of actual terror plots, in addition to his role as a religious adviser and powerful recruiting officer. His clear English, American roots, and powerful speaking skills are believed to have attracted many young Muslims from within the U.S. to the cause of jihad.

He reportedly met directly with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 19-year-old Nigerian who attempted to blow up the flight to Detroit in 2009, when the young man traveled for training to Yemen.

Al-Awlaki's voluminous online preaching, in both video and print form, is also thought to have inspired Ft. Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, who made email contact with the preacher before carrying out his attack.

His death will deal AQAP a serious blow, but Ben Venzke, who heads intelligence contracting group IntelCenter in the Washington area, says it does not seriously diminish the threat posed by the al Qaeda franchise.

"AQAP remains one of the most dangerous al Qaeda regional arms both in its region and for the direct threat it poses to the U.S. following three recent failed attacks," said Venzke, who monitors jihadi propaganda for myriad U.S. government agencies. "AQAP leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi, who is responsible for expanding the group's focus to conduct attacks on U.S. soil, remains in charge of the group and further attempts to conduct attacks in the U.S. are expected."


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/30/501364/main20113732.shtml

[Elzenga]

At some point, al-Qaida is going to have to figure out that gathering in conspicuous places just means giving a big, fat, blinking red target to the killer drones hovering above.

In the latest sign of the intensifying U.S. shadow war in Yemen, drones hit a police station in Abyan Province, where fighters from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula have flocked during the country's ongoing political crisis. al-Qaida reportedly took over the station, prompting the drone(s) to take action.

Early reports are conflicting, but the strike might have a massive death toll attached. The New York Times says eight militants are dead, but CNN claims that the body count is at 50. Either way, there's a lesson here: al-Qaida gatherings are drone bait.

According to stats compiled by the Long War Journal, it's the third U.S. airstrike in Yemen this year, which really means since May. The next strike will tie the total from all of 2010.


al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula can't say it wasn't warned. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the former CIA director, tells anyone who'll listen how drone strikes, commando raids and other inconspicuous, lethal applications of force are his preferred solution to the al-Qaida problem. Same goes for incoming Special Operations Command chief Vice. Adm. William McRaven. New CIA Director David Petraeus is cool taking militants dead or alive.

Not to suggest there's a bright side to al-Qaida's strength in Abyan, but if the militants feel they can run the province with impunity, their operational security standards are likely to drop. The newer model Reaper drones at the U.S.' disposal increasingly carry smaller, lighter weapons — 35 pound missiles, down from a 100-pound Hellfire — and more of them. That means more opportunities to hit more al-Qaida targets, especially if the terrorist group is going to set up conspicuous de facto bases. Maybe it's time to rethink the concept of "safe haven."

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/07/massive-drone-strike-hits-qaida-cop-station-in-yemen

or to rethink their air-defence concepts...and buy some air-defence equipment... de huidige UCAVs zijn nog niet bepaald onkwetsbaar in deze.

[VandeWiel]

At some point, al-Qaida is going to have to figure out that gathering in conspicuous places just means giving a big, fat, blinking red target to the killer drones hovering above.

In the latest sign of the intensifying U.S. shadow war in Yemen, drones hit a police station in Abyan Province, where fighters from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula have flocked during the country's ongoing political crisis. al-Qaida reportedly took over the station, prompting the drone(s) to take action.

Early reports are conflicting, but the strike might have a massive death toll attached. The New York Times says eight militants are dead, but CNN claims that the body count is at 50. Either way, there's a lesson here: al-Qaida gatherings are drone bait.

According to stats compiled by the Long War Journal, it's the third U.S. airstrike in Yemen this year, which really means since May. The next strike will tie the total from all of 2010.


al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula can't say it wasn't warned. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the former CIA director, tells anyone who'll listen how drone strikes, commando raids and other inconspicuous, lethal applications of force are his preferred solution to the al-Qaida problem. Same goes for incoming Special Operations Command chief Vice. Adm. William McRaven. New CIA Director David Petraeus is cool taking militants dead or alive.

Not to suggest there's a bright side to al-Qaida's strength in Abyan, but if the militants feel they can run the province with impunity, their operational security standards are likely to drop. The newer model Reaper drones at the U.S.' disposal increasingly carry smaller, lighter weapons — 35 pound missiles, down from a 100-pound Hellfire — and more of them. That means more opportunities to hit more al-Qaida targets, especially if the terrorist group is going to set up conspicuous de facto bases. Maybe it's time to rethink the concept of "safe haven."

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/07/massive-drone-strike-hits-qaida-cop-station-in-yemen

[Lex]

'Saleh keert niet terug naar Jemen'

RIYAD -  De Jemenitische president Ali Abdullah Saleh, die voor een medische behandeling naar Saudi-Arabië is uitgeweken, zal niet naar Jemen terugkeren. Dat heeft een hoge Saudische functionaris vrijdag gezegd.

Eerder stelde de regering in Jemen dat Saleh snel terug zou komen in zijn land. Saleh raakte twee weken geleden gewond tijdens een aanval op zijn paleis in de Jemenitische hoofdstad Sanaa. Hij vertrok kort daarna naar Saudi-Arabië.

Bij protesten tegen Saleh zijn de afgelopen vier maanden ten minste 200 mensen omgekomen. De president, die al sinds 1978 in het zadel zit, zag de steun voor zijn regime gestaag afbrokkelen, maar weigert tot dusver halsstarrig af te treden.

Telegraaf,
vr 17 jun 2011, 13:18

[Lex]

Saleh heeft brandwonden op 40 procent lichaam

RIYAD -  De Jemenitische president Ali Abdullah Saleh heeft brandwonden op 40 procent van zijn lichaam. Daarnaast liep hij een klaplong op tijdens de granaataanslag vrijdag op het presidentiële paleiscomplex in Sanaa, de hoofdstad van Jemen. Dat meldde de Amerikaanse nieuwzender CNN dinsdag op basis van diplomatieke bronnen in Saudi-Arabië, waar Saleh is opgenomen in een ziekenhuis.

Een granaatscherf veroorzaakte een wond van 7 centimeter diep in het lichaam van Saleh. Het stuk metaal doorboorde een van de longen van Saleh. Het afgelopen weekeinde hebben artsen de scherf verwijderd.

De bomaanslag had plaats in een moskee, waar Saleh aanwezig was met een aantal anderen. Na het incident, waarbij zeker zeven mensen stierven, nam Saleh met een reeks andere hoogwaardigheidsbekleders de wijk naar Riyad, de hoofdstad van het machtige buurland Saudi-Arabië.

Telegraaf,
di 07 jun 2011, 09:36

[KapiteinRob]

Ja hoor, wederom op de Tromp.....

Tromp komt morgen aan in Aqaba; dat is nou ook niet in de omgeving. 

Met een OPV zou je niet in de omgeving zijn. De Ollies van de TRMP doen echter wonderen......

[Lex]

Ja hoor, wederom op de Tromp.....

Tromp komt morgen aan in Aqaba; dat is nou ook niet in de omgeving. 

[KapiteinRob]

Hebben we nog in Lynx in de omgeving.. 

Ja hoor, wederom op de Tromp.....

[Lex]

Hebben we nog in Lynx in de omgeving.. 

Het is maar net wat je onder omgeving verstaat, want Libië is volgens mij wel een aarig eindje wandelen. 

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Hebben we nog in Lynx in de omgeving.. 

[Lex]

Royal Marines prepare to land in Yemen to rescue civilians

A British naval contingent has been stationed off the coast of Yemen in readiness to extract UK nationals and citizens of allied nations amid fears that the country will descend further into chaos and violence following the departure of its beleaguered president.

Around 80 Royal Marines aboard the Fort Victoria will help provide a bridgehead if an evacuation becomes necessary, with another ship, Cardigan Bay, currently on its way to provide further support to the mission, according to naval sources.

The troops on board, from Alpha Company, 40 Commando, can be reinforced, if necessary by members of a Marine force currently taking part in an exercise in Albania. Defence officials in London stress there are no plans to do this at present.

The 31,000-tonne Fort Victoria and 17,000-tonne Cardigan Bay, both Royal Fleet Auxiliaries (RFAs) equipped with helicopters and landing crafts, are from an UK fleet in the Mediterranean tasked with organising contingency plans for rescuing Britons from both Syria and Yemen as well as conducting military operations in Libya.

It is difficult to ascertain, say British officials, the exact numbers of UK citizens in Yemen. Around 800 men, women and children, some of them dual-nationals, and many of Yemeni extraction, have registered with the British Embassy. Some of them, however, may have already left the country and some others are making their own way out.

As well as Britons, any evacuation is likely to involve those from the European Union and Commonwealth although other countries have also put their own evacuation plans in place and Saudi Arabia has indicated that it will provide help if necessary.

The military campaign against Muammar Gaddafi's forces continues to grow in tempo with the arrival of another Apache helicopter-gunship to join the four others which have carried out strikes from the aircraft carrier HMS Ocean in the last few days. The aircraft is being shipped to a Mediterranean island before being transported to the carrier.

However, away from the publicity focus, resources are being moved to the Indian Ocean by the UK's Response Force Task Group amid growing apprehension about the situation in the Yemen, where 400 people are reported to have been killed in the last week.

Sana'a airport remains open for the time being and charter planes can be used to bring out the stranded. Helicopters would be able to airlift people in case of the security situation deteriorating further.

However, an evacuation such as the one carried out from Libya in February following the uprising in the country, with military transport planes landing in a rural area, is viewed as being fraught with problems in the Yemen. The aircraft, say officials, will be vulnerable to extremist groups seeking Western targets.

The Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh will be pressed by the Saudi government to agree to an agreement under which he would give up power in return for immunity from prosecution and assurances that his personal wealth would not be impounded.

It is believed that US officials will be meeting Mr Saleh, a long term ally against Islamist militancy, in the Saudi capital. At the same time American diplomats are meeting the Yemeni vice-president, Abd al-Rahman Mansur al-Hadi, in Sana'a. The acting leader, who is viewed as being more emollient about reforms, is also scheduled to meet representatives of other Western states, including the UK.

Although Western states are investing a lot of expectations in the vice-president, Mr al-Hadi, to bring about reconciliation, within Yemen he is regarded by many, including influential clan chiefs, as weak and lacking the power base to consolidate meaningful change.

By Kim Sengupta on HMS Albion off the Libyan coast
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Independent.co.uk