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Monday, April 6, 2015

Yemen: Al-Qaeda declares war against Shi'ites

Wait...Sunni against Shia means this is a battle of religion, a war of ideological difference of opinion. How could this have anything to do with Islam, as Obama, Kerry, Harper et al keep telling us it does not?

This is quickly coming down to a battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two biggest and most powerful Islamic forces in the region.  The ideological schism that holds between Saudi Sunni and Iran Shia has been ongoing for 1400 years.  This may be the beginning of a religious war that will engulf the Middle East and leave possibly millions dead, all in the name of Islam.

Watch closely Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt, the wild card and potentially the only power capable of stopping, or at least moderating the carnage to come.

From Middle East Confidential April 6 by Peter Mulvany

Yemen : Al-Qaeda announces “Jihad against Shiites”

The crises in Yemen is slowly becoming a triangular affair after militants of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) took over large parts of Mukalla, the capital of Hadramawt province in southeastern Yemen and declared a Jihad; a holy war. They have set up road blocks and are also patrolling the capital. Al-Qaeda took over parts of Mukalla after freeing 300 inmates in a jailbreak in the city on Thursday and among those freed were Senior Al-Qaeda figure Khalid Batarfi, according to security officials.

Residents in Mukalla said the whole capital has not fallen to AQAP because key infrastructures such as army camps, the airport and the port are still being controlled by government forces. It is unclear if the al-Qaeda militants will launch an offensive on government controlled areas after declaring “Jihad against Shiites” from the loudspeakers of mosques controlled by them, residents stated. Their call for jihad against Shiites was making reference of the Houthi Movement formed by Shiites.

Officials have stated that Al-Qaeda gunmen also attacked the local administration complex, a branch of the central bank and the police headquarters.

Saudi Arabia has not reacted to the developments although it is leading the Arab coalition that is carrying out airstrikes on the Houthis and their allies who have seized large parts of the country including the capital Sanaa.

There have been reports that al-Qaeda could soon be dissolving to allow its members to join the Islamic State although observers have warned that AQAP known as al-Qaeda’s deadliest group could exploit the chaos in Yemen to expand its domination.

Henceforth, it seems like the Saudi-led coalition will not only battle the Houthis to reinstate Hadi but also AQAP if the group should ever become a major player threatening such a move.

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