Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Rebels battle Yemeni army near Saudi border post

SAN'A, Yemen (AP) - Shiite rebels battled Yemeni government troops Tuesday near a key border crossing with Saudi Arabia in a widening conflict that threatens to further destabilize this key U.S. ally in the battle against al-Qaida.

The latest round of fighting is a major escalation in the five-year-old rebellion in northern Saada province, which pits Shiite Muslims against a Sunni-led government. The province borders predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia.

The new threat from the northern rebels comes as the impoverished Arabian peninsula country is already battling a separate uprising to the south and a resurgent al-Qaida. The Yemeni government has little authority in the mountainous areas outside the major cities.

The stability of Yemen, the ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden, is a key concern for both Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Saudi fears the conflict could make the kingdom's own disgruntled Shiite tribes directly across the border more restive.

But Ali Seif Hassan, executive director of Political Development Forum in San'a, said Saudi Arabia also sees the Shiite rebel movement as a buffer against the growth of al-Qaida militants.

In January, Sunni militants announced the creation of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, a merger between the terror network's Yemeni and Saudi branches. Over the past year, al-Qaida has been blamed for a string of attacks, including an assault on the U.S. Embassy in San'a and two suicide bombings targeting South Koreans.

The conflict between Shiite rebels and Yemen's Sunni-led government has added significance for many Arab countries who are worried about the rising influence of Shiite Iran in the Middle East.

Shiites in Yemen complain the government ignores their needs and has allowed Wahhabis - people adhering to a strict version of Sunni Islam found in neighboring Saudi Arabia - too strong of a voice in the country. The Wahhabis gained influence after helping the Yemeni government win the 1994 civil war with the secessionist south.

Over the past few weeks, local officials and rebels say the rebels have taken control of more of Saada province from government forces. Last week, they seized a key army post near Saada's provincial capital on a strategic highway linking the capital San'a with Saudi Arabia after 12 hours of intense combat. They have also taken control of several more towns.

On Tuesday, local officials said the rebels seized key army posts near Al-Malahidh crossing, some 13 miles (20 kilometers) south of the Saudi border. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

A rebel spokesman confirmed the fighting but said the rebels don't intend to seize the border post. Mohammed Abdel-Salam told The Associated Press by telephone from Saada that the rebels are only fighting for improved living conditions and to push the Yemeni army from the province.

"We will continue the fight until the army is withdrawn from the province," he said. "We are only defending ourselves."

A representative of the UN's refugee agency said Tuesday the organization had seen an increase of people in recent days fleeing the Malahidh area.

The government has not commented on the claims of rebel advances. But on Monday President Ali Abdullah Saleh described the rebels' offensive as "criminal acts and violations" and urged residents of Saada to resist.

MyWay

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