Showing posts with label Yemen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yemen. Show all posts

Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh Goes For Major Surgery



As reported earlier there was considerable amount of confusion about the injuries sustained by President Ali Abdullah Saleh for the simple reason that he did not appear on national television or any other channel. Now it is becoming increasingly clear that injuries were not minor but quite serious. Even though officially nothing has been told but all the indicators point toward serious trouble.

First point I would like to mention is that amidst such heavy fighting the President accepts the offer for treatment in Saudi Arabia can mean either Saleh has accepted the inevitable that he has lost the war and was looking for a face saving way of escaping or President is so badly injured that there was no other way than to go for treatment to Saudi.

Secondly some reports have started appearing in western media that Saleh is undergoing neurosurgery.

A senior United States official said Saleh had shrapnel wounds and severe burns to his face and chest, adding that it was not clear how serious the injuries were. The official declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation.

Saleh flew to Saudi Arabia Saturday after the attack, leaving Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in charge.Saudi medical teams have reported that injuries to President Saleh were much more serious than what was expected earlier. Unfortunately no clear answer were available anywhere.

Irrespective of the seriousness of his injuries or what President Saleh will do in future tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators celebrated in the streets of the cities of Sanaa and Taiz Sunday.Yemen's largest opposition bloc Sunday vowed to keep Saleh from returning to Yemen."The Yemeni people will do all in their power to not allow Saleh to reenter the country," Joint Meeting Parties spokesman Mohammed Qahtan said.

Yemeni security forces on Friday pounded the home of Sadeq al-Ahmar, the Hashed tribal leader whose supporters were first suspected of being behind the attack on the presidential palace. The flurry of shelling left 10 people dead and 35 others wounded, according to Fawzi Al-Jaradi, an official with Hamil al-Ahmar, a Hashed tribal confederation led by Sadeq al-Ahmar.
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Yemen Army Infiltrated By Rebel Moles


Military Units loyal to President Saleh may have been infiltrated by rebel spies who give advnce warning about impending Military action and steal any battle plans which loyalist commanders may draw up. This was confirmed by 1st Armored Brigade commander.He claimed that majority of military units are willing to join the rebels for revolution but are afraid to do so.

To prove his point he explained that most units refuse to shell or kill civilians plus they keep in touch with the rebel units passing vital intel to them.

The first armored brigade which defected early during the revolution has come under heavy attack from the army. Maj. Gen. Al-Mosen house and office have been shelled.

Irrespective of the denials from the Government many army men have confirmed that they did attack first armored brigade targets quite a few times.

“The division didn’t respond except by using anti-air. The Air Defense attack started around 6:30 PM to 10 PM then it stopped. The fighting then resumed again for three hours” said Col. Faris.

A weapon storage facility that belongs to the Defense Ministry was destroyed according to the same source. “The regime destroyed the storage facility so that rebel tribesmen or civilians couldn’t raid the facility for weapons and munitions to use against the government,” he added.

One of the senior officer who defected to the rebel camp confirmed that military units have handed over several military installation to rebel soldiers without a fight.“They are currently being armed with RPGs and LAW rocket launchers in Arhab, the interior ministry and some tribes loyal to Saleh in Attain” said Col Faris.
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Yemen City Of Taiz Falls To Rebels As President Battles For Life


More than 400 tribal gunmen have taken over Yemen's most populated city of Taiz, eyewitnesses there say.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh suffered burns on 40% of his body and a collapsed lung, U.S. government officials briefed on the matter said, as the fate of the embattled leader -- and whether he will return to the conflict in Yemen -- remains uncertain.

Saleh was injured Friday from an attack at his presidential compound and is seeking treatment in Saudi Arabia. An Arab diplomatic source with knowledge of Saleh's condition says one shrapnel wound is 7 centimeters (2.75 inches) deep.

Fighting between government and tribal forces has raged for weeks in Yemen, where thousands of anti-government protesters have been pressuring Saleh to give up power since January.

The fiercest clashes since anti-government protests started in the southern city of Taiz continued early Tuesday, with battles between anti-regime gunmen and government security forces, witnesses said.

One of the U.S. government officials said Monday he can't imagine the Saudis letting him go back. He said it is critical that the Saudis press Saleh to accept a Gulf Cooperation Council deal offering him immunity in exchange for stepping down.

However, Saudi state-run Ekhbariya television reported Monday that Saleh had undergone two operations in Saudi Arabia and would return to Yemen after he recovers.

Christopher Boucek, a Middle East expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said he doubts Saleh will go back.

"The regime still maintains that he will return, and they say he's going to return within days, if not weeks," Boucek said. "But there's really no option I see for how he can go back and still be president."
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Rocket Hits Yemen president, Civil War Intensifies



President Ali Abdullah Saleh's palace was attacked by rebels. It is reported that he has been wounded. This is a serious threat to any shred of stability that was left in Yemen. It clearly indicates that the civil war has spun out of control and the Government know longer has control.


Agencies report that it was one of the most daring attack on the head of the state, even though his injuries are not serious yet , seven guards have been killed and all his top brass including the Prime Minister were also wounded.

Though the Yemeni information ministry said that Saleh has been slightly wounded yet he did not appear any where after the attack. Most leaders after a failed assassination attempt appear on national TV to assuage any kind of fear or rumors of death. This did not happen in the case of the President.

An opposition news bulletin initially reported that the Yemeni leader had been killed, but the rumour was quickly scotched by Mr Saleh's aides.

Speaking after the attack, Mr Saleh blamed an "outlaw gang" of his tribal foes – the powerful Hashid tribe led by Sadeq al-Ahmar, who has been battling Saleh loyalists in Sanaa."I salute our armed forces and the security forces for standing up firmly to confront this challenge by an outlaw gang that has nothing to do with the so-called youth revolution," he said.But the critical aspect was it was only his voice and no footage was shown.

The rebel tribesman and the military are fighting pitched battles in around the capital city for the past one week after the protest and international pressure failed to oust the current Yemeni President.So it is to be expected that the Yemeni forces will intensify their raids on the rebels irrespective of what the US or any other country wants. USA is worried about the Al-Qaeda wing that is active in Yemen and Saleh had cleverly convinced the US that he is the only person to fight that menace and his fall meant an Al-Qaeda take-over.(quite similar to what happened in Pakistan, I don't think USA understand the old trick)

After the protest failed the tribesmen led by al-Ahmar under the flag of their tribal group called Hashid have been fighting the security forces which is dominated by Saleh and his clan.This is the classic case of a powerful faction dissatisfied and rising up in revolt. Sheikh al-Amar and his family has been angry at Saleh promoting only his clansmen and keeping them out of power, therefore they were waiting for an opportunity to strike. And fate provided that opportunity, when after the Tunisia revolt people in Yemen revolted too. Cleverly these tribesmen kept themselves out of the revolt initially expecting the US and western power to force Saleh's ouster. After which  they could easily capture power but when this did not happen and Saleh moved his troops first against the protesters then against the Sheikh himself, the tribesmen joined the fight in full force.
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One Week Ceasefire In Yemen On Saudi Kings Initiative


After the deadly attack on the President of Yemen the Saudi King Abdullah intervened and brokered a one week ceasefire between the warring rebels led by Sheikh Al-Amar and Salehs military faction. The situation had really taken a turn for the worse when Saleh with his top brass was injured.

Before that the military had attacked the strong hold of Sheikh Al-Amar and was in the process of flattening the houses of all those who were supporting him. Use of artillery was quite frequent.

It has been reported that some injured Yemeni officials have been flown to Saudi Arabia for treatment but the situation with injured President Ali Abdullah Saleh still remains a mystery as he is yet to make a public appearance.
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