Doubts raised over al Qaeda-killing claim by Yemen

Posted By Robert Zeliger Thursday, July 21, 2011 - 6:10 PM Share

Yemen's defense ministry today claimed its forces killed a senior al Qaeda leader, Ayedh al Shabwani, in southern Yemen on Tuesday. In a statement on its website, the ministry said the man was killed during intense fighting in the largely lawless southern part of the country. Al Shabwani was on Yemen's most wanted list and has evaded previous attempts on his life -- including an air strike in January, 2010 on a location where he was thought to be hiding.

The government has been battling al Qaeda militants in the south without much to show for it, so far. In the past two days, 10 soldiers were killed. 90,000 people are thought to have fled the fighting. (Yemeni officials say the United States is providing logistical support and also carrying out strikes from the air and sea.) For the past several months, al Qaeda has been taking full advantage of the power vacuum playing out in the country -- especially since President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to leave for Saudi Arabia to recuperate from injuries suffered in an attack on his palace in June. Since then, there have been questions about who is actually calling the shots.

Given the flood of bad news, an announcement that a major al Qaeda figure is dead would surely be seen as a major achievement for the government. There's only one problem -- there are serious doubts being raised about whether al Shabwani was really killed. After all, this wouldn't be the first time the Yemen government has claimed they got him. Some opposition groups and analysts have said the announcement was just an attempt by the government to show it had the upper hand in the fighting -- when in reality it didn't. They say the timing of the announcement -- so soon after the air raid -- was suspicious.

"The government is looking for victories right now even if they are lies," a Yemeni al Qaeda analyst, Said Obeid, told Reuters.

Some Yemeni officials conceded there was reason to be skeptical. "They have a right to some doubts because there has been a lack of precision in some past information given, but our media announces the news as we receive it from the area," one official told Reuters.

EXPLORE:ARAB WORLD, MIDDLE EAST, YEMEN
 

SALBAHE16

1:30 AM ET

July 22, 2011

jhay

i hope that every crisis here will have peace sooon!

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CARY PALMIOTTO

5:27 AM ET

August 17, 2011

Al- Qaeda militants kill four Yemen police

Four Yemeni security personnel were killed and 5 others wounded in an attack launched by suspected al-Qaeda militants on a security patrol in the southeast of the country, said a security source on Friday. "Four policemen were killed when unknown terrorists attacked their patrol in jenny mccarthy-Hajarain district of Hadramout province, a security official in Hadramout province said. AFP said that witnesses said the gunmen attacked a security checkpoint, killing the four policemen deployed there. "Security forces set up cordons around the area to track down the assailants," a witness told AFP. The latest attack comes days after suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen killed six soldiers, including two officers, in three separate attacks Sunday in Marib and Abyan provices. he Yemeni security had announced earlier in the week of killing an al-Qaeda commander Umar al-Moalem in Shabwa province and that two al-Qaeda suspects were killed in clashes with some tribesmen in Sa’adah province.

 

AXELBROOK

6:42 AM ET

August 19, 2011

Because most of them listen

Because most of them listen to Oh Really and Beck. And those guys cannot stand anyone having free-thinkers and honest politicians in the republican party like Debra Medina, and Ron Paul. RIO Yet I still do not understand their agenda, what do they have against honest people???.

 

FREESPIRIT

6:46 PM ET

August 19, 2011

al Qaeda

To be honest who really cares anyway!

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LORETTE LISCOMB

5:16 AM ET

August 20, 2011

Yemeni warplanes started its

Yemeni warplanes started its operations in the village bordering with Saudi Arabia in line with nation's policy to intensify action against Al-Qaeda offshoots. It resulted in the killing of Al-Qaeda's military Chief allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind killing the U. S. ambassador. Increasing activities of Al-Qaeda in Yemen are becoming cause of concerns for US and allied nations and they decided to extend full support to Yemen for wiping out terrorists in the region. However, the government of Yemen, dependent over Islamic radicals for its sustenance, is very cautious for getting US aid against terrorist's outfits. Meanwhile, government's Supreme Security Committee confirmed the killing of Raimi's death in the air strike on the edge of Jouf province based on the inputs provided by intelligence. Jouf's provincial Governor, Hussein ginger lee Hazib, at the same time, declined to divulge the identities of six al-Qaeda operatives killed in the strike.

 

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