.Over 300 Yemenis volunteered for Jihad in 2008, al-Qaeda statement
Over 300 young Yemeni men affiliated with al-Qaeda traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia for Jihad in 2008, said an alleged al-Qaeda military leader on Wednesday.
“More than 300 young men from the land of Yemen, who are members of our organization joined their brothers in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia during 2008,” said Abu Osama, a member of the military council of al-Qaeda and the commander of the Yemen Brigades.
In a statement published by the local weekly independent newspaper al-Wasat, Abu Osama claims that al-Qaeda in Yemen has become stronger than ever. He also said mediation between al-Qaeda and the Yemeni government remains deadlocked.
"There is nothing left between us and them (government) except for the sword," said the statement. This was not the first time al-Qaeda in Yemen has sent such statements to al-Wasat. Many similar statements have been sent to the paper- particularly after armed confrontations between al-Qaeda and Yemeni security forces.
Officials decline to comment on such statements, as they are simply fabricated statement sent by email, according to a security official who was contacted by the Yemen Observer Wednesday.
The current statement was released two days after two al-Qaeda militants were killed and another was injured and arrested in clashes with security forces in Sana'a.
After the operation on Monday, security officials said they had thwarted a plan to target government and western interests by obtaining information from one of the arrested men.
The al-Qaeda statement played down the importance of the arrest of militant Abdul Rahman Ali Mohammed al-Ghurabi, saying "he is young, and has no important information," about al-Qaeda in Yemen.
Abu Osama said his organization has achieved many of its goals, including attacks against government, tourist and oil interests, and he threatened more action in the future, including retaliation for government moves against his organization.
On Monday, government forces raided a suspect al-Qaeda hideout in Sana’a, where they killed two suspects. One of the suspects killed in the shootout was Salem Mohammed Maqasf, a Saudi national wanted by security forces in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. He was also a member of the same terrorist cell as Hamza al-Qo’aiti, who was killed with several other al-Qaeda operatives in Tarim, Hadramout in August of last year. The suspect killed is Badr Dawood Saleh, born in Saudi Arabia but originally from al-Houdeidah, reported 26 September.net, the mouthpiece of the Yemeni Army.
Security sources added that they have arrested a third suspect, and are currently hunting a fourth, Mosa’aed Ahmed al-Barbari, from al-Jawf; the owner of the house in which the cell was hiding.
Preliminary investigations with the arrested suspect Abdul-Rahman al-Ghorabi have revealed important information about the cell. Security forces found explosives in the hideout of the cell, several hand grenades, explosive belts and a motorbike.
Yobserver
“More than 300 young men from the land of Yemen, who are members of our organization joined their brothers in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia during 2008,” said Abu Osama, a member of the military council of al-Qaeda and the commander of the Yemen Brigades.
In a statement published by the local weekly independent newspaper al-Wasat, Abu Osama claims that al-Qaeda in Yemen has become stronger than ever. He also said mediation between al-Qaeda and the Yemeni government remains deadlocked.
"There is nothing left between us and them (government) except for the sword," said the statement. This was not the first time al-Qaeda in Yemen has sent such statements to al-Wasat. Many similar statements have been sent to the paper- particularly after armed confrontations between al-Qaeda and Yemeni security forces.
Officials decline to comment on such statements, as they are simply fabricated statement sent by email, according to a security official who was contacted by the Yemen Observer Wednesday.
The current statement was released two days after two al-Qaeda militants were killed and another was injured and arrested in clashes with security forces in Sana'a.
After the operation on Monday, security officials said they had thwarted a plan to target government and western interests by obtaining information from one of the arrested men.
The al-Qaeda statement played down the importance of the arrest of militant Abdul Rahman Ali Mohammed al-Ghurabi, saying "he is young, and has no important information," about al-Qaeda in Yemen.
Abu Osama said his organization has achieved many of its goals, including attacks against government, tourist and oil interests, and he threatened more action in the future, including retaliation for government moves against his organization.
On Monday, government forces raided a suspect al-Qaeda hideout in Sana’a, where they killed two suspects. One of the suspects killed in the shootout was Salem Mohammed Maqasf, a Saudi national wanted by security forces in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. He was also a member of the same terrorist cell as Hamza al-Qo’aiti, who was killed with several other al-Qaeda operatives in Tarim, Hadramout in August of last year. The suspect killed is Badr Dawood Saleh, born in Saudi Arabia but originally from al-Houdeidah, reported 26 September.net, the mouthpiece of the Yemeni Army.
Security sources added that they have arrested a third suspect, and are currently hunting a fourth, Mosa’aed Ahmed al-Barbari, from al-Jawf; the owner of the house in which the cell was hiding.
Preliminary investigations with the arrested suspect Abdul-Rahman al-Ghorabi have revealed important information about the cell. Security forces found explosives in the hideout of the cell, several hand grenades, explosive belts and a motorbike.
Yobserver
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