Dies ist die Fortsetzung von Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 621, Teil 1 / This is the sequel of Yemen War Mosaic 621, part 1:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-621-yemen-war-mosaic-621
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 1 / In Italics: Look in part 1
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a1 USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf: Deutsch / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf: German
cp9a2 USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf: Englisch / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf: English
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(A P)
Yemen's Legitimate Govt. Denies Holding Talks With Houthis over Calm in Marib, Jawf
The Yemeni legitimate government denied reports that there were ongoing talks between local authorities in Jawf and Marib and the Houthi militias over calm.
The government said that these claims only seek to cause a gap among national components.
Yemeni Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani also denied the rumors promoted by Houthi media regarding the talks between the governor of Marib or any other liberated provinces and Iran’s mercenaries.
My comment: By a Saudi news site. The Houthis labeled as „Iran’s mercenaries“: LOL.
(A P)
UN Jemen-Sondergesandte Martin Griffiths verlässt den internationalen Flughafen Sanaa
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3086719.htm
(A P)
Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi trifft den Jemen UNO-Sonderbeauftragte
Während des Treffens wurde betont, dass die wiederholten Angriffe von Aggressionsländern und die anhaltenden Luftangriffe und militärischen Auswirkungen alle Bemühungen behindern, um Frieden zu erreichen.
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3086638.htm
(A P)
Sayyed. Abdulmalik Stresses Escalation by US-Saudi Aggression Obstructs Peace Efforts
Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi met today Martin Griffiths, the UN envoy to Yemen, and during the meeting, he stressed that the repeated attacks by the US-Saudi aggression, including continued air strikes and military repression, hinder all efforts that are being made to achieve peace.
In the meeting, Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi stressed that the siege is the cause of the humanitarian and economic disasters effecting the Yemeni people.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11044
(A P)
Griffiths in Sana'a to discuss de-escalation measures
UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths has arrived Sanaa on Sunday to hold talks with the Iranian-backed Houthi coupist militia in his second visit to Yemen in the course of one week.
Griffiths will discuss de-escalation measures with the Houthi leaders within his efforts to revive the stalled peace process between the group and the Yemeni legitimate government.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/17362
and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3086600.htm
(A K P)
Uno-Sicherheitsrat fordert sofortiges Ende der Gewalt im Jemen
Der UNO-Sicherheitsrat hat eine sofortige Einstellung der Feindseligkeiten im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen gefordert. Die Mitglieder des Sicherheitsrates seien "ernsthaft besorgt" über den Anstieg der Gewalt in den Gebieten Nehm und Al-Jauf und die Auswirkungen auf die Zivilbevölkerung, hieß es in der am Donnerstag (Ortszeit) einstimmig verabschiedeten Erklärung.
Das Gremium verwies auf die Vertreibung tausender Menschen in den vergangenen Tagen. Die Gewalt im Land verhindere einen politischen Prozess für ein Ende des Krieges. Notwendig sei vor allem auch die Einhaltung der Waffenruhe in der Hafenstadt Hodeida. Zudem müsse die "Einschüchterung von Mitarbeitern von Hilfsorganisationen" umgehend eingestellt und deren sicherer und ungehinderter Zugang zum Norden des Landes gewährleistet werden.
(A P)
Photo: Culture my foot: @UNESCO chief @AAzoulay all smiles with #Saudi war criminal & world leading child killer
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1223278884302487552
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(B P)
Film: Take a look at #Saudi Monarchy jails. This is what #MBSWay will end up.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1223711041386926080
(A P)
Eight #US lawmakers nominate jailed #Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul for the 2020 #Nobel peace prize (letter in image)
https://twitter.com/AnujChopra/status/1223204340619329536
(* C)
Treaty of Darin (1915): New Saudi Land Came in to Existence
In 1901, Abdul Rahman's son, Abdul Aziz (the future Ibn Saud), asked the Emir of Kuwait for men and supplies for an attack on Riyadh. Already involved in several wars with the Rashidis, the Emir agreed to the request, giving Ibn Saud horses and arms. Although the exact number of men waxed and waned during the subsequent journey, he is believed to have left with around 40 men.
In January 1902, Ibn Saud and his men reached Riyadh. With only a small force, he felt that the only way to take the city was to capture Al Masmak Castle and kill Ibn Ajlan, Chief of Riyadh. Ibn Saud's force captured the castle and killed Ibn Ajlan according to plan, and took the city within the night.
1903–1907, Warfare period of sporadic battles ended with Saudi takeover of the al-Qassim region.
https://www.modernghana.com/news/515742/treaty-of-darin-1915-new-saudi-land-came-in.html
cp9 USA
(* B K P)
USA: Seit 19 Jahren im Globalen Krieg gegen den Terror und das Hussein-Regime
US-Präsident hat weiterhin freie Hand nach den Kriegsermächtigungen von 2001 und 2002, die Gesetzesinitiativen des Repräsentantenhauses werden daran nichts ändern
Demokraten und einige republikanische Abgeordneten im Repräsentantenhaus haben letzte Woche zwei Gesetzesvorschläge verabschiedet, die verhindern wollen, dass US-Präsident Donald Trump einen Krieg gegen den Iran beginnt. Neben dem von Ro Khanna eingebrachten "No War Against Iran Act", der primär Gelder sperren soll, will der von Barbara Lee eingebrachte Gesetzesvorschlag H.R. 2456 unterbinden, dass die noch immer geltende Bewilligung des Kongresses für den Irak-Krieg aus dem Jahr 2002 von Trump für einen Waffengang mit Iran genutzt werden kann. Die meisten republikanischen Abgeordneten stimmten dagegen, allerdings schlossen sich einige der demokratischen Mehrheit an oder enthielten sich der Stimme.
Interessant ist der Vorstoß, Donald Trump verwehren zu wollen, einen Krieg mit dem Iran anzuzetteln, weil dieser eigentlich wohl dies - und schon gar nicht vor der Wahl - gar nicht beabsichtigen dürfte. Schließlich hatte er seinen Sicherheitsberater John Bolton, den er jetzt wüst beschimpfte, wohl auch deswegen entlassen, weil dieser, wie allgemein bekannt ist, schon lange auf einen Regime Change im Iran hinarbeitet und vor dem Einsatz militärischer Gewalt alles andere als Zurückschreckt.
Ist Trump ein Kriegstreiber?
Trump setzt zwar weiter auf Aufrüstung und Drohungen, er lockert auch die Regeln zum militärischen Vorgehen, setzt auf die Tötung und begnadigt Kriegsverbrecher, aber er zieht bislang ökonomischen Druck zumindest größeren militärischen Interventionen vor, was auch gegenüber dem Iran deutlich wurde.
Chancen haben die Gesetzesinitiativen zudem sicherlich keine. Sie werden nicht durch den Senat kommen, in dem die Republikaner eine Mehrheit haben, und Donald Trump hat bereits ein Veto angekündigt, falls dies doch geschehen sollte.
Dass die Kriegsermächtigungen wieder einmal diskutiert wurden, macht auch darauf aufmerksam, wie lax die berühmten cheques and balances sind, wenn es um die nationale Sicherheit geht, mit der alles Mögliche und eben auch völkerrechtswidrige Angriffskriege von der politischen Kaste der USA scheinbar legitimiert werden.
USA im Dauerkrieg
George W. Bush, Barack Obama und jetzt Donald Trump haben für die von ihnen verantworteten militärische Einsätze an diesen festgehalten, da sie ihnen weitgehend freie Hand bieten.
(* A K P)
Weißes Haus fürchtet um Iran-Pläne: US-Kongress will Kriegsbefugnisse des Präsidenten einschränken
Das US-Repräsentantenhaus verabschiedete am Donnerstag zwei Gesetzesvorlagen, die darauf abzielen, die Kriegsbefugnisse von US-Präsident Donald Trump einzuschränken. Wie schon auf dem Schlachtfeld, hatte das Weiße Haus versucht, seine Iran-Pläne präventiv durchzusetzen.
Vor dem Hintergrund der Versäumnisse des Weißen Hauses, die Abgeordneten über die Strategie beim tödlichen Angriff auf den iranischen General Qassem Soleimani zu informieren, verabschiedete das US-Repräsentantenhaus am Donnerstag zwei Resolutionen. Mit diesen soll einerseits die Fähigkeit des Präsidenten eingeschränkt werden, ohne Zustimmung des Kongresses militärisch gegen den Iran vorzugehen. Außerdem stimmte es für die Aufhebung der Genehmigung aus dem Jahr 2002 für den Einsatz militärischer Gewalt im Irak.
Die erste Gesetzesvorlage, das sogenannte "No War Against Iran Act" (übersetzt: "Kein-Krieg-gegen-den-Iran-Gesetz"), würde die Finanzierung militärischer Gewalt im oder gegen den Iran blockieren, sofern der US-Kongress nicht seine Zustimmung erteilt. Die vom kalifornischen Abgeordneten Rohit Khanna eingebrachte Resolution wurde mit 228 zu 175 Stimmen verabschiedet.
Die zweite, von der kalifornischen Abgeordneten der Demokraten Barbara Lee eingebrachte Resolution würde die Genehmigung zur Anwendung militärischer Gewalt (Authorization for Use of Military Force, AUMF) aus dem Jahr 2002 aufheben, auf deren Grundlage der Krieg gegen Saddam Hussein begonnen wurde und mit der US-Präsidenten seither eine Reihe von militärischen Aktionen rechtfertigten. Sie wurde mit den Stimmen von elf Republikanern und insgesamt 236 Stimmen bei 166 Gegenstimmen verabschiedet.
https://deutsch.rt.com/nordamerika/97543-weisses-haus-fuerchtet-um-iran-plaene-kriegsbefugnis/
(* A K P)
Trump hebt Obamas Landminenverbot auf
US-Präsident Trump hat es seinem Militär wieder erlaubt, in Konflikten Landminen einzusetzen. Damit machte er eine Entscheidung seines Vorgängers rückgängig. Menschenrechtsorganisationen sind entsetzt.
US-Präsident Donald Trump hat den von seinem Vorgänger Barack Obama den US-Streitkräften verbotenen Einsatz von Landminen außerhalb der koreanischen Halbinsel aufgehoben. Zur Begründung hieß es, diese Waffen hätten in einem Krieg eine wichtige Wirkung. Bei der Entscheidung spielten offenbar mögliche Konflikte mit China und Russland eine Rolle.
Internationale Organisationen, die sich für ein weltweites Landminenverbot einsetzen, reagierten entsetzt. 'Es gibt Kriegsakte, die einfach tabu sind", sagte der US-Direktor von Humanity & Inclusion, Jeff Meyer. "Nationen, selbst Supermächte, dürfen niemals gewisse Waffen benutzen, weil sie überflüssige Verletzungen und unnötiges Leid verursachen. Landminen fallen direkt in diese Kategorie."
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/trump-landminen-105.html
(* B P)
Foreign Funding of Think Tanks in America
Most Americans outside the Washington establishment have little, if any, understanding of what a think tank is or does. Yet, despite largely flying under the public’s radar, think tanks have long played a critical role in shaping U.S. public policy. Think tanks conduct in-depth research on public policy, help write laws, testify before Congress, are a goto source for media on the political issue of the day, serve as springboards for future government officials, and are a home for former government officials.
Think tanks vary considerably in terms of their objectives and organization, but many think tanks in Washington D.C. share a common trait—they receive substantial financial support from foreign governments. While these are often democracies with interests closely aligned with those of the U.S., a significant number of these foreign donors are undemocratic, authoritarian regimes whose aims often diverge significantly from U.S. interests. In a variety of instances, the public has learned that this foreign funding can significantly influence think tanks’ work. It can lead to a think tank producing reports favorable to a foreign power, think tank experts offering Congressional testimony in support of a foreign powers’ interests, or its scholars working closely with a foreign funders’ registered lobbyists.
Yet, we only have anecdotal examples of the impact foreign funding has on think tanks for a simple reason: think tanks are not required to publicly disclose their funding. Without a legal requirement for disclosure many think tanks are reluctant to reveal the full scope of their foreign funding. They rarely mention any potential conflicts of interest in their published reports or commentary, and think tank experts often fail to report financial ties to foreign governments when testifying before Congress. Hiding these potential conflicts of interest leaves the public and policymakers with the impression that they’re hearing from a truly objective expert, when in fact they may be listening to someone that is, at least de facto, on the payroll of a foreign power.
In an effort to move towards greater transparency of think tank funding in America, this report analyzes foreign funding at the top fifty think tanks in America, as ranked by the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Go To Think Tank Index, based on criteria like the quality and reputation of the think tanks research and the reach of its publications. The analysis includes all foreign funding received by these think tanks from 2014-2018. 2014 was chosen as the starting point for analysis because that was the year The New York Times published the expose “Foreign Powers Buy Influence at Think Tanks.”
From this analysis we found:
More than $174 million in foreign funding went to these top think tanks;
The top recipients of foreign funding were the World Resources Institute, the Center for Global Development, and the Brookings Institution;
Nearly 900 different foreign donations were given to these think tanks;
Donations to these think tanks came from more than 80 different countries and international organizations;
The top donor countries were Norway, United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates;
There were widely varying levels of transparency about funding sources at top think tanks, ranging from full disclosure of all funders and exact amounts donated, to think tanks that disclose absolutely no information about foreign or domestic funding sources.
This analysis points towards a simple policy recommendation: think tanks should be required, by law, to publicly disclose funding from foreign powers. This is essential for the public, the media, and policymakers to better identify potential conflicts of interest when consuming information provided by think tanks
https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/3ba8a1_4f06e99f35d4485b801f8dbfe33b6a3f.pdf
cp9a1 USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf: Deutsch / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf: German
(* A K P)
USA bringen „einsatzbereite“ Atomwaffen gegen Iran in Stellung
Das Pentagon hat das U-Boot USS Tennessee, das letzten Monat auf dem Höhepunkt der Irankrise in den Atlantik entsandt wurde, erstmals mit einem neuen, „leistungsschwächeren“ Atomsprengkopf ausgestattet. Der als W76-2 bezeichnete thermonukleare Gefechtskopf hat eine Sprengkraft von etwa fünf Kilotonnen. Das ist ein Drittel der Zerstörungskraft der Bombe, mit der 1945 in Hiroshima etwa 140.000 Menschen getötet wurden.
Dies brachte die Federation of American Scientists (FAS) am 29. Januar 2020 an die Öffentlichkeit. Die Wissenschaftlervereinigung berief sich dabei auf namentlich nicht genannte Quellen aus dem zivilen und militärischen Bereich. An Bord der USS Tennessee und anderer U-Boote befinden sich insgesamt 20 Trident-Raketen. Wie die FAS berichtet, werden zwei dieser U-Boot-gestützten Interkontinentalraketen mit W76-2-Sprengköpfen ausgestattet.
https://www.wsws.org/de/articles/2020/02/03/pers-f03.html
(* B K P)
Irak: Ist die Forderung nach Abzug der US-Truppen nur Show?
Wie ernst kann man die Forderung des Irak nehmen, die westlichen Truppen des Landes zu verweisen? Diese Frage stellt sich angesichts der neuesten Entwicklungen.
Im Irak gibt es Massenproteste gegen die Präsenz der US-Truppen im Land und langsam drängt sich der Verdacht auf, dass die Forderung nach Truppenabzug nur eine Show ist, um das Volk zu beruhigen. Der irakische Premierminister hatte zwar von den USA gefordert, Unterhändler zu schicken, um die Details des Abzugs zu besprechen, die USA haben das jedoch verweigert. Und eine offizielle Forderung nach Truppenabzug, die vom irakischen Präsidenten ausgesprochen werden müsste, gibt es nicht.
https://www.anti-spiegel.ru/2020/irak-ist-die-forderung-nach-abzug-der-us-truppen-nur-show/
(A K P)
USA korrigieren Verletztenzahl von Soldaten nach oben
Bei den iranischen Raketenangriffen auf von ausländischen Truppen genutzte Stützpunkte im Irak sind weitere Amerikaner verletzt worden. Bei 64 Soldaten wurde ein "schwaches Schädel-Hirn-Trauma" diagnostiziert.
(* B K P)
Israels Geheimdienstbericht für 2020: Möglichkeit zur Eskalation gegen Iran ist da
Analysten des israelischen Militärgeheimdienstes haben in ihrem Bericht für dieses Jahr zugegeben, es sei angesichts der Geschwindigkeit der Veränderungen in der Region unmöglich geworden, präzise Voraussagen zu treffen, es gebe aber die Chance eines Schlages gegen den Iran.
https://deutsch.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/97193-israels-geheimdienstbericht-fuer-2020-moeglichkeit/
cp9a2 USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf: Englisch / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf: English
(A K P)
Iran among world’s top five producers of anti-armor missiles: [Iranian] Deputy defense minister
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/02/03/617780/Missile-Iran-Qassem-Taqizadeh-Bavar-pinpoint
(A P)
Denmark arrests three members of Iranian opposition group on spy charges
Denmark said on Monday it had arrested three leading members of an Iranian Arab opposition group on suspicion of spying for Saudi Arabia.
The three members of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA) had already been charged by Danish police for supporting an attack in Iran in 2018.
(A)
Diplomat says 4 killed in oil tanker fire off UAE sheikhdom
A blaze aboard an oil tanker last week off the United Arab Emirates’ sheikhdom of Sharjah killed at least four people, an Indian diplomat said Monday.
https://apnews.com/cc9cead6660a454ca075af178f1de042
(A K P)
Ukraine: Recordings show Iran knew jetliner hit by a missile
A leaked recording of an exchange between an Iranian air-traffic controller and an Iranian pilot purports to show that authorities immediately knew a missile had downed a Ukrainian jetliner after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard, despite days of denials by the Islamic Republic.
https://apnews.com/940f1abd51a7389eb2cf36f4ae3feb25
(A P)
Saudi Arabia blocks Iran from Islamic grouping's meeting: Tehran
Saudi Arabia has barred an Iranian delegation from an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah on Monday where U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan will be discussed, the Iranian foreign ministry said.
(A K P)
Uneasy quiet in Mideast, month after Iran strike against US
Nearly a month after Iran launched a rare direct military attack against United States forces in Iraq, an uneasy quiet has settled across the Mideast.
Watching fighter jets roar off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, the top U.S. commander for the region believes he is surrounded by one of the reasons that Iran has dialed back its combat stance, at least for now.
“You’re here because we don’t want a war with Iran and nothing makes a potential adversary think twice about war than the presence of an aircraft carrier and the strike group that comes with it,” Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie told the nearly 5,000 service members on board the 100,000-ton ship. “So, we achieve deterrence, which is preventing Iran from starting a war.”
https://apnews.com/dd3af167620ce98bd0dfb6cd00a76315
My comment: LOL.
(A P)
Resistance only way for Iranian nation to confront oppression: Rouhani
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/02/02/617682/Iran-Hassan-Rouhani-resistance-Imam-Khomeini
(A P)
New EU foreign policy chief to make his first visit to Iran
https://apnews.com/8a947b3b076a62c6a2b98526ba23a650
(A K P)
Japanese warship heads to Middle East to protect tankers
https://apnews.com/cd195c12c643765466ea4d5925d07435
(A K P)
US, Israel ramp up nuclear weapons testing, deployment amid regional provocations
Israel says it has ramped up the deployment and testing of nuclear and nuclear-capable weapons amid heightened regional tensions after the US assassinated top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and unveiled a biased Middle East plan.
The ministry of military affairs of the Israeli regime on Friday announced that it had conducted a launch test of a “rocket propulsion system from a base in the center of the country”.
The little information revealed about the test prompted speculation among observers that the tested projectile may have been related to Israel's long-range ballistic missile program, which Israel seeks to not acknowledge publicly.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/02/01/617609/US-Israel-weapons-deployment-testing
(A K P)
US brain injury numbers cover-up for dead US troops in Iranian missile strike: IRGC
The spokesman for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has said that Washington’s alleged numbers of “brain injuries” in its troops following the Iranian retaliatory missile strike on the Ain al-Assad airbase represent the number of dead troops.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/02/01/617618/US-injury-coverup-Iran-missile-deaths
(A P)
Iraq's Ayatollah Sistani slams Trump's ‘unjust’ plan for Palestine
(* B K P)
2020 so far: Iran and allies push forward despite losing Soleimani
The months ahead
Soleimani’s void is still being felt across the region and in particular in Iran, however the Axis of Resistance appears to be continuing in outmanoeuvring their adversaries, be it politically, or on the battlefield. The Syrian army will continue to reclaim state territory, as will the Houthi-led forces in Yemen. The Houthi-led National Salvation Government has also met with European ambassadors and the UN Envoy for Yemen this month, early signs of future political recognition from the international community. Iraq is too crucial for the US to withdraw from, which would inevitably affect their presence in Syria’s oil fields. Thus, the US has been re-exploring options of balkanising Iraq, especially into an autonomous Sunni state in the west, which borders with Syria in the face of waning influence in the capital and south. This might lead to an inevitable return of the destabilising chaos associated with Daesh.
(A K P)
Pentagon now says 64 US troops injured in Iran attack
The Pentagon announced yesterday that 64 US troops have now sustained injuries as a result of the 8 January Iranian missile retaliatory attack on two military bases in Iraq, revising once again how many servicemen were hurt
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200131-pentagon-now-says-64-us-troops-injured-in-iran-attack/
(* A K P)
Iraqi govt. forms committees to ensure foreign troops withdrawal: Interior Minister
Iraqi Interior Minister Yassin al-Yasiri says the Baghdad government has formed a number of committees tasked with the implements of a parliamentary bill, which demands the withdrawal of all US-led foreign troops from the country.
(* A K P)
Iraq denies resuming joint operations with US-led coalition
An Iraqi government spokesman denied reports on Thursday that joint operations had resumed between local forces and the US-led coalition fighting ISIS sleeper cells.
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(* B K P)
How the UK is facilitating war crimes in Yemen
The UK – alongside the United States – provides weapons, engineering, and logistical services, and military, intelligence and diplomatic support to the Saudi-led coalition. Without this support, the coalition could not carry out the war. Yet the UK also claims not to be party to the war, and regularly boasts that it operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. UK arms export policy is clear: the government will not issue arms export licences where there is a clear risk the weapons might be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. The UK is also a major bilateral aid donor to Yemen. It’s the fourth largest donor to the UN Humanitarian Appeal for Yemen after Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait – all members of the coalition currently pummelling Yemen to within an inch of its life.
How are we to make sense of these seemingly competing and contradictory claims? How can the UK government claim not to be involved in the war while materially facilitating it? How can it claim to uphold international law while promoting arms sales that actively undermine it? The government is not simply ignoring its commitments to international law. It is not the case that the government is merely failing to implement its own rules that require a risk assessment to check whether arms exports might contribute to serious human rights or humanitarian law violations. Instead, something more complicated is going on: rather than assessing risk in order to prevent harm, the government is actively mobilising risk in order to facilitate and legitimise arms exports. It does this in three main ways.
First, through an active strategy of not knowing about violations of international law. Without knowing that there have been breaches of international humanitarian law, the UK government deems the risk of future violations not to be clear. Hence there is no need to refuse arms exports. Second, through claims of unintended harm: the UK government claims that if excessive civilian harm does seem to have happened, it must have been accidental – a strategy to mitigate the demands of international law and manage the reputation of a friendly state, Saudi Arabia. And third, state actors mobilise a temporal claim that even if there have been violations of international law in the past, the risk of future harm is not clear.
Overall, the effect of these practices is to make negotiable the limits of what is deemed legally and normatively permissible. In short, the UK government is making risk not matter, so that it can continue to sell weapons to the Saudi-led coalition while claiming to be on the right side of international law and of history – by Anna Stavrianakis
https://blog.oup.com/2020/01/how-the-uk-is-facilitating-war-crimes-in-yemen/
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(* B K P)
Libya’s bloodshed will continue unless foreign powers stop backing Khalifa Haftar
Support from the Emirates, Russia and the US is empowering the military strongman and worsening Libyans’ suffering
On Haftar’s side is a bloc of authoritarian and anti-Islamist Arab states: the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Emirates’ role has been especially destructive – its drones and fixed-wing aircraft have conducted hundreds of strikes, according to the United Nations, causing scores of civilian deaths. French support is also key. Driven by a misplaced zeal for Haftar’s virtues as a counterterrorist and stabiliser, Paris has been sending him clandestine military aid for several years.
Added to this are the hundreds of Russian mercenaries who arrived at the Tripoli front last September, helping Haftar break the stalemate.
(A P)
European Union: Yemen: Statement by the spokesperson on the latest fighting
The recent intensification of the hostilities in Yemen is alarming. Continued military confrontation can only plunge Yemen further into conflict and inflict additional suffering to its people who are already heavily affected by the hostilities.
The parties involved in the conflict urgently need to show restraint
My comment: Hypocrisy by those who inflated the war by their arms sales.
(A P)
#Bahrain's regime reaps another innocent soul: 24YO S.Kadhem S.Abbas (arrested in 2015) developed brain cancer under merciless torture & was denied medical care until he lost his sight. He was released in July 2018, and he passed away from the disease today
https://twitter.com/PrintempsArabeS/status/1224235823312314368
(A P)
#Bahrain's ruthless regime kills yet another innocent soul: Hamid AlKhatam, father of 3, was imprisoned in 2016 for "tweeting". Though arrested in perfect health, he was released suffering from lung cancer due to torture and medical negligence. He passed away today
https://twitter.com/PrintempsArabeS/status/1223269691197706241
and more https://twitter.com/PrintempsArabeS/status/1223618426587033608
cp12b Sudan
(* B K P)
Sudanese troops continue exit from war-stricken Yemen
The decision earlier this month by Sudan to further slash the number of its troops deployed in Yemen came as no surprise. Jamal Juma Adam, spokesman for Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, informed news agencies on Jan. 14 that only 657 Sudanese soldiers remain in Yemen.
The estimated 30,000 soldiers deployed in Yemen in June as part of the Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting the Iranian-backed Houthis since March 2015 had been cut to some 15,000 in September and then to 5,000 in December.
“There is almost a complete withdrawal of Sudanese troops,” said Soufis, who is close to the National Resistance Forces (also called the Joint Forces), which support the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. “All the Sudanese sites and camps have been handed over to the so-called Joint Forces established and trained by the UAE.”
Abdel Nasser al-Muadea, an independent writer and researcher, views the Sudanese troops as mercenary forces and does not believe their withdrawal will have a significant impact, given their already limited role.
“Sudanese troops in Yemen were support and protection forces used by the UAE forces to protect their headquarters in the southern regions and the west coast and to support the fighters in those areas,” Muadea told Al-Monitor. “The UAE withdrew from the west coast and most areas of the south. Accordingly, Sudanese forces no longer have a role there.”
A Sudanese political source who spoke to Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity, asserted, “There are Sudanese military forces operating outside the framework of the official forces whose names and numbers are listed in the records of the Ministry of Defense.” The source further explained that Khartoum had selected them through the ministry to fight, but not under the banner of the Sudanese Armed Forces.
There is at least one scenario in which Sudan might reverse gears and send more forces to Yemen without official announcement: if the negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis fail. In that case, the Sudanese Ministry of Defense will send more recruits, that is, mercenaries assembled from its own forces, to fight in the Saudi ranks, if Riyadh requests them.
Maintaining a symbolic presence of Sudanese forces in Yemen without specifying their tasks and positions could be due to the Saudis' lack of confidence in achieving a full-fledged peace with the Houthis. In short, they are needed to continue to give cover to the perpetuation of the Arab coalition's mission until Riyadh officially announces its conclusion – by Ammar al-Ahswal
(A K P)
Sudan demands return of expats in UAE used as soldiers in Libya
Sudanese under security guard contract in UAE sent to fight in Libya instead
Sudan has on Thursday officially demanded that Sudanese nationals sent by the UAE to fight alongside Haftar’s forces in Libya have to return back home.
The demand came in a press conference held by Sudanese Information Minister Faisal Mohammed Saleh, following demonstrations in front of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry and the UAE Embassy in Khartoum.
The protests denounced Abu Dhabi sending Sudanese citizens to fight and die in Libya, instead of working in security services, according to the contracts they actually signed with an Emirati company.
https://www.uprising.today/sudan-demands-return-of-expats-in-uae-used-as-soldiers-in-libya/
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* A K P)
TRAINING OF KUWAITIAN PILOTS AT THE 4TH STORM: OPERATIONAL CONVERSION COURSE ON EUROFIGHTER
The training, relating to the first operational conversion course and intended for 5 pilots of the Kuwait Air Force (KAF), began on January 20, 2020 at the 20th O.C.U. Group. (Operational Conversion Unit) of the 4th Wing and will allow the Kuwaiti military to conduct flight missions with the Eurofighter aircraft. Three of the Kuwait Air Force pilots have already spent a long period of training in Italy
My comment: In Italy. And then, they will drop bombs on Yemen. This really is a scandal.
(A K P)
Film: Saudischer Frachter legt nach mutmaßlicher Waffenlieferung in den Jemen in Bremerhaven an
Das saudische Frachtschiff Bahri Yanbu, das angeblich Waffen für mehrere Millionen Euro in den Jemen transportiert haben soll, legte am Montag in Bremerhaven an. Ein Ruptly-Video zeigt den Frachter auf seiner Rückfahrt aus Nordamerika.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au35cCip2ZM
(* A K P)
Saudi Arabian arms ship due to dock in Tilbury this week
Protests and lawsuits are planned in several European countries this week over fears that a Saudi Arabian state-owned cargo ship, the Bahri Yanbu, is due to dock in European ports with a consignment of arms destined to be used in the conflict in Yemen.
The Bahri Yanbu, which is due to reach Tilbury Docks on 7 February 2020, has previously ferried tens of millions of pounds’ worth of arms to fuel the war in Yemen.
Having already travelled across the Atlantic, with earlier stops in the USA and Canada last month, the cargo ship is due to visit five ports, beginning on 2 February, before continuing its onward voyage to Saudi Arabia. The ports are Bremerhaven (Germany),Antwerp (Belgium), Tilbury Docks (UK), Cherbourg (France), and Genoa (Italy).
Given the secrecy surrounding the Bahri Yanbu’s load, Amnesty lacks specific evidence showing the vessel is currently carrying arms bound for Saudi Arabia. However, the same ship has transported weapons to Saudi Arabia in the past. According to bills of lading data analysed by Amnesty since the war in Yemen began nearly five years ago, the ship has previously transferred some £275 million of military and dual-use equipment on ten voyages from the USA to Saudi Arabia.
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/29301
and
(A K P)
Film: Germany: Saudi cargo ship accused of carrying weapons to Yemen docks in Bremerhaven
Footage shows the Saudi cargo ship docked in the German city of Bremerhaven on its return from North America, and it is bound to make a number of stopovers in European cities including in Genoa and Antwerp before heading for its final destination. According to human rights organisation Amnesty International, the vessel has previously transported millions of dollars worth of weapons to Yemen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JT-tifN1tY
and
(* A K P)
Saudi Arabian arms ship due to dock in Tilbury next week
Protests and lawsuits are planned in several European countries this week over fears that a Saudi Arabian state-owned cargo ship - Bahri Yanbu - is due to dock in European ports with a consignment of arms destined to be used in the conflict in Yemen.
The Bahri Yanbu, which is due to reach Tilbury Docks on 7 February, has previously ferried tens of millions of pounds’ worth of arms to fuel the war in Yemen.
Having already travelled across the Atlantic - with earlier stops in the USA and Canada last month - the cargo ship is due to visit five ports beginning on 2 February, before continuing its onward voyage to Saudi Arabia. The ports are Bremerhaven (Germany); Antwerp (Belgium); Tilbury Docks (UK); Cherbourg (France); and Genoa (Italy).
A data visualisation of the Bahri Yanbu’s route is available here.
Given the secrecy surrounding the Bahri Yanbu’s load, Amnesty lacks specific evidence showing the vessel is currently carrying arms bound for Saudi Arabia.
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/saudi-arabian-arms-ship-due-dock-tilbury-next-week
(* B K P)
From 2017: CONSTRAINING REGIONAL ACTORSOR FUELING REGIONAL WARS?
estern Arms Transfers and Arms Control Policiestowards the Middle East:
Trade in arms and dual-use technologies is an aspect of commerce that Westernstates seem eager to control. They do so most obviously out of concern for theirown security, as they tend to sell or transfer weapons to their allies, whereas theyare unlikely to engage in such trade with enemies or competitors. Increasingly,arms-producing countries have been also claiming to care about the impact thattheir arms exports may have on the population of the importing country, or onconflicts that the country may be involved in.
The argument that the arms trade is a very particular type of business that ought tobe controlled and made to follow certain ethical guidelines is not new.
These issues will be addressed in three sections of this chapter. First, I offer anoverview of the effective elimination of almost all non-conventional weapons fromthe region. Secondly, I offer an analysis of the growing discourse in favor of a moreresponsible trade in conventional weapons. For all the focus on so-called ‘weaponsof mass destruction,’ conventional weapons, and more particularly small arms andlight weapons, inflict the most casualties each year. Thirdly, the chapter assessesrecent trends in conventional arms transfers and control. Overall, the facts reviewedhere suggest that not much has changed over the past thirty years. The pervasivetemptation for Western arms exporters – their commitment to human rightsnotwithstanding – to favor economic over ethical concerns remains. Meanwhile,their arms policies have clearly failed to control or contain the region’s geopoliticalconflicts in a lasting manner – by Coralie Pison Hindawi
(scroll down to p. 123)
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
Siehe / Look at cp1
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
(A E)
Film: The first women's shopping mall opens in Taiz
With the participation of 16 women entrepreneurs, businesswomen in Taiz governorate, south Yemen, yesterday have opened the first women's trade center of its kind in the province, within the framework of economic empowerment and creating a special environment for women's work, the center represents an important opportunity for businesswomen in the Chamber of Commerce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI0OX0eGzb8
(A E P)
Yemen's currency is bleeding in UAE-controlled south. One US dollar is buying 650 Yemeni rials in Aden. In Houthi-controlled regions, one US dollar is buying 590 Yemeni rials. Yemen still in limbo?! No, the UN is continuing to make statements.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1223922560028545024
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(* B T)
US targets al-Qaeda leader: What it means for Yemen and the US counterterrorism mission
Atlantic Council experts respond to the killing of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Leader Qasim al Rimi:
William F. Wechsler, director of the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council:
“However, even before we know whether Al-Rimi is alive or dead, it’s nevertheless useful to take the opportunity to reflect on why such violence is necessary.
“When the United States is able to identify a terrorist abroad who threatens Americans, in the vast majority of cases the solution is relatively simple: simply reach out through law enforcement or intelligence channels and ask the local government to arrest them. Unfortunately, there remain a few places in the world in which the host governments have no practical ability to do so—indeed, in some of these places legitimate government authorities face a high risk of being killed if they tried. Yemen is one of these places.
“Therefore, US policy has been to prevent the emergence of such sanctuaries by helping to build the capacity of the local government forces, working “by, with, and through” these partners to accomplish our common counterterrorism objectives.
Kirsten Fontenrose, director of the Middle East Security Initiative in the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security:
“Al-Rimi is an unquestionably legitimate target, in accordance with existing Authorized Use of Military Force (AUMF) authorities related to al-Qaeda. The debates that raged around the killing of [former Iranian general] Qasim al-Soleimani do not apply.
“Inevitably the Houthis and armed groups in the south of Yemen will interpret the removal of al-Rimi from the battlefield as granting their own groups more room to operate.
“Instead, this timeframe during which AQAP will be on a back foot and in reaction mode should be seen as creating breathing room for political negotiations.”
Thomas S. Warrick, non-resident senior fellow, Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs, Atlantic Council:
“The apparent targeted killing of notorious terrorist Qasim al-Rimi is welcome news, particularly for everyone who flies passenger planes in Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
(A T)
#StreathamTerrorAttack: As #jihad groups get squeezed, we'll see this more. New #alQaeda video out yday urged "stabbing with household knife" if bigger acts impossible. Footage of 5 inspirational street stabbings. US is top target but "British Muslims" addressed directly at 12:55
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1224282437456474112
I'm not suggesting a direct link. The #alQaeda video was released on #jihad wires c.15.20 UK time, so after #Streatham. My point is: While #terror groups still aspire to mass attacks, they can see today's limitations & so urge individual outbursts of rage as better than nothing
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1224287310663102465
(A T)
Who'd want to be in Qayfa, #Yemen... Seems everyone & his uncle has been killing there this week: #ISIS, Houthis, tribes, #AQAP spies, US #drones(?) Including the latest IEDs below, ISIS-Y claimed 10 ops in January: 9 vs Houthis, 1 vs #AQAP, all in Qayfa
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1224049236762820609
(A T)
#AQAP #Yemen releases video with Raymi. Dated January -Claims #Pensacola shooting, tells of long planning process, shows alleged messages from #Saudi shooter -Declares #USA as top target -Urges any Muslim in US (incl #women) to attack using any means: knife/gun/truck, even #cyber
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1224017119978971137
(A T)
Schießerei auf US-Militärbasis: Al-Kaida-Ableger bekennt sich zu Anschlag
Ein Ableger der Terrorgruppe Al-Kaida hat sich in einem Video zum tödlichen Angriff auf einen US-Militärstützpunkt in Florida im Dezember bekannt. Der Al-Kaida-Ableger AQAP, der vor allem im Jemen und auch Saudi-Arabien aktiv ist, veröffentlichte das etwa 18 Minuten lange Video. Nach Angaben der Site Intelligence Group, die Online-Propaganda von Extremisten untersucht, ruft die Gruppe darin auch zu weiteren Angriffen auf.
https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Al-Kaida-Ableger-bekennt-sich-zu-Anschlag-article21550893.html
(A T)
US officials sceptical as Al Qaeda in Yemen claim Florida airbase shooting
A US government source familiar with official reporting and analysis told Reuters news agency that the Trump administration did not believe Aqap's claim that the Florida shooter was acting on their behalf.
The source said that Aqap could have made the claim to divert attention after reports about the killing of its leader, Qassim Al Raymi, in a drone strike in Marib. The reports are yet to be confirmed.
(A T)
Al-Qaida in Yemen claims deadly Florida naval base shooting
Al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen claimed responsibility Sunday for last year’s deadly shooting at the Naval Air Station Pensacola by an aviation student from Saudi Arabia.
The shooter, 2nd Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, was a member of the Saudi Air Force in training at the base. He opened fire inside a classroom at the base on Dec. 6, killing three people and wounding two sheriff’s deputies before one of the deputies killed him. Eight others were also hurt.
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, released a video claiming the attack. SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks messaging by militant groups, reported the claim.
https://apnews.com/69a7bfc8d72823a1d055c73bbb349177
(A T)
#AQAP has not yet commented on the alleged killing of its leader by US #drone in #Yemen. But its video today omits the usual "May Allah protect him" after Raymi's name (which would have shown he's alive). This suggests that AQAP isn't yet ready to admit he's dead or doesn't know
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1224066293470498816
(* A T)
US-Luftwaffe bombardiert Al-Qaida-Stellungen im Jemen
Die US-Luftwaffe hat einen Angriff auf Stellungen des Terrornetzwerkes „Al-Qaida auf der Arabischen Halbinsel“* im Jemen geflogen. Das Ziel war die Vernichtung des Anführers Qassim al-Rimi, wie der TV-Sender CNN am Samstag unter Verweis auf eine Pentagon-Quelle mitteilte.
Laut der Quelle wird noch geprüft, ob Al-Rimi bei dem Luftangriff getötet wurde. Um dies zu klären, werden verschiedene Methoden, darunter auch ein Monitoring von sozialen Netzwerken und Messenger, verwendet.
Wie der Sender weiter ausführte, hätten weder das Pentagon noch die CIA bisher diese Informationen kommentiert.
Zuvor hatte das US-Außenministerium eine Belohnung von zehn Millionen US-Dollar (neun Millionen Euro) für Informationen über Anführer des Terrornetzwerkes „Al-Qaida auf der Arabischen Halbinsel“ angeboten.
https://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20200201326406069-usa-luftwaffe-al-qaida-stellungen-jemen/
(B T)
After US Strikes Against Qaeda's Rimi, Will the Organization's Presence End in Yemen?
Asharq Al-Awsat spoke with Maerib governor, Sultan al-Arada, who reported that the past ten days witnessed two strikes in two different locations in the governorate, and the security authorities could not identify the targets inside the two houses, pointing out that the region is witnessing numerous Houthi strikes which made it more difficult for security services to determine the drone strikes.
The US added Rimi to the "most wanted terrorists" in May 2010, and five years later he assumed the leadership of the organization, succeeding Nasser al-Wuhayshi, who was also killed in a US drone strike in June.
Washington doubled the reward on giving information about Rimi from five million to ten million dollars.
The US administration accuses him of training terrorists in Qaeda camp in Afghanistan in the 1990s. He then returned to Yemen, became a military commander, and was sentenced to five years in prison in 2005 for plotting to assassinate the US ambassador to Yemen.
Yemeni researcher specializing in tribal and conflict affairs, Nadwa Al-Dossary, believes Rimi's death is a major blow to Qaeda, saying the terrorist organization has weakened a lot since the death of its most important leader in Yemen.
Dossary believes there is no point in talking about terminating Qaeda before the war in Yemen is over. She said the organization tried to take advantage of the war's conditions in Yemen and succeeded in that at first in some cities like Hadramout, Aden, and Taiz.
(* A T)
Yemen sources: US drone destroyed building housing al-Qaida
Tribal leaders said Saturday a suspected U.S. drone strike destroyed a building housing al-Qaida militants last week in eastern Yemen.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, retweeted several tweets and media reports that seemed to offer confirmation the Jan. 25 strike killed top al-Qaida leader Qassim al-Rimi.
The tribal leaders said the drone strike took place in the Wadi Ubaidah area in the eastern province of Marib. The area is known as a stronghold for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, as the Yemeni affiliate is known.
They said at least three explosions rocked the area, and that the building was set ablaze.
It was not immediately clear how many militants were in the building at the time or their identities. The tribal leaders said a handful of al-Qaida militants arrived at the area directly after the strike and cordoned off the area.
https://apnews.com/5031d99d7096bd36acce2c14ea550957
(* A T)
U.S. killed a top al-Qaida leader in Yemen, reports say
The leader of al-Qaida’s Yemen branch is believed to have been killed in a U.S. airstrike earlier this year.
The New York Times said three current or former U.S. officials “expressed confidence” that Qasim al-Raymi, the emir of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), was killed in Yemen, although there was no official confirmation.
U.S. forces had been tracking al-Raymi for months, and there was a $10 million price on his head.
It is unclear whether the strike was carried out by the U.S. military or the CIA. Spokespersons for U.S. Central Command, the National Security Council and the CIA declined to comment.
For more than five years, al-Raymi, a native of Yemen, had eluded U.S. forces as he led what experts sometimes refer to as al-Qaida’s “most dangerous franchise.” If confirmed, his death would be “very significant,” said Mick Mulroy, who was deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East until late last year.
“He’s a real bad actor,” said Mulroy, who is also a retired CIA paramilitary operations officer and an ABC news analyst. “This is a big win for us.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-killed-a-top-al-qaeda-leader-in-yemen-reports-say-215555178.html
and
(* A T)
US conducts strike targeting al Qaeda leader in Yemen
The United States conducted a strike recently targeting Qassim al-Rimi, the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the terror group's franchise based in Yemen that has repeatedly expressed interest in conducting attacks targeting the United States, a US official told CNN on Friday.
The New York Times reported that three current or former American officials expressed confidence that Rimi had been killed in a January airstrike in Yemen.
Asked about the report, the Pentagon would not elaborate on the situation.
"While we are aware of the reports alleging the death of AQAP leader Qassim al-Rimi, the Department of Defense has nothing to offer on this matter," a US Defense Official told CNN.
The US government through its Rewards for Justice program had offered up to a $10 million reward for information on him.
Officials continue to assess whether Rimi was killed in the strike through a variety of methods including monitoring social media and messaging apps regarding chatter about his possible death.
The CIA declined to comment on the report.
https://us.cnn.com/2020/01/31/politics/us-strike-aqap-leader-yemen/index.html
and
(* A T)
Local sources confirm the killing of Qassim Al-Raimi by US strike in Al-Baydha
Qassim Al-Raimi, leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), was killed in a raid by US drone strike last week in the central governorate of Al-Baydha, a source familiar with AQAP’s operations inside Yemen and a local security source confirmed to Almasdar Online.
The strike also killed another senior AQAP leader, Abu Al-Baraa Al-Ibby. The two men were traveling together in a car in Yakla area of Al-Baydha when the US strike directly struck the vehicle. According to the sources, the vehicle and their bodies were charred, but no pictures of the scene have been leaked because AQAP militants have closed off the area to local media and activists.
Local residents confirmed to Almasdar Online the occurrence of a drone strike on a check point belonging to AQAP-affiliated gunmen on January 29, in the village of Al-Hosson Al-Mashrif. The village is in Yakla area of Al-Baydha, within the territory of the Qaifa tribe in Wadi Al-Rabi district nearby to Marib.
The strike that killed Al-Raimi in Qaifa was preceded by two other presumed US strikes during the past week, nearby in Marib governorate. The first, on January 25 at 11 a.m., targeted a house in the Joe Al-Naseem area of the Wadi district, killing an individual, whose identity remain unknown.
On January 27, a second strike occurred in the Al-Hazmah area of the Wadi district. According to a source living in the area, the raid destroyed a house that was rented to an individual called Abdullah Al-Adani, leaving behind his charred body. According to eye-witnesses who saw the body after the raid, after about three hours a person came and took Al-Adani’s body in his car and left. The individual, according to the local source, is known to be connected to AQAP.
https://al-masdaronline.net/national/301
and
(* A T)
US believes Al Qaeda leader in Yemen 'likely' killed by airstrike, source says
U.S. officials believe the leader of Al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen was "likely" killed by an American airstrike earlier this month, a well-placed source told Fox News Friday.
Qassim al-Rimi is believed to have died as a result of the attack but his death has not been confirmed. The airstrike was first reported by The New York Times.
Rimi's Yemen-based network, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), is considered to be the most dangerous branch of the global terror group since its creation in 2009.
The CIA learned of al-Rimi's location from an informant in Yemen in November, according to the Times, and began tracking him through aerial surveillance and other means.
Rimi, 41, became the leader of AQAP when Nasir al-Wuhayshi was killed in a 2015 drone strike.
He previously trained in Afghanistan before returning to Yemen where he was sentenced to five years in prison for plotting to kill an American ambassador. He broke out of prison and rose through the ranks of the group.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-airstrikes-target-leader-of-yemen-based-al-qaeda-branch
and also https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-takes-out-another-top-terrorist-in-the-middle-east
https://thearabweekly.com/al-qaeda-leader-yemen-killed-reports-say
and
(* A T)
Trump appears to confirm killing of al Qaeda leader in Yemen via retweet
The New York Times reported on Friday that officials believed Qassim al-Rimi was killed in a January drone strike.
In a series of retweets, President Donald Trump seemingly confirmed reports on Saturday that the U.S. had killed Qassim al-Rimi, the leader of an al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen.
On Saturday morning, Trump retweeted posts from two accounts that discussed the news of Rimi's death, but did not address the airstrike in a post of his own.
"This was not a DOD operation," a Pentagon official said Saturday. Spokespeople for the CIA and National Security Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
AQAP has not issued a statement of its own confirming Rimi's killing.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/01/trump-qassim-al-rimi-al-qaeda-yemen-110172
and
(A T)
IF* true that #AQAP leader was killed by US #drone in #Yemen alongside Sheikh Abu al-Bara' al-Ibbi, this would be a significant blow. Abu al-Bara' was an articulate & active #alQaeda jurist; for more on him see pp.13-18 of my 2018 paper, free link here: https://www.academia.edu/37155784/Contemporary_Jihadi_Militancy_in_Yemen_How_is_the_Threat_Evolving
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1223920858735038464
(A T)
In his 2018 book, #AQAP #Yemen Sheikh Abu al-Bara' al-Ibbi whinges on for 191 pages about how today's jihadis aren't what they used to be. He offers 50 reasons why. #Drone strikes aren't among them. Bit of an oversight...
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1223940026372935680
(A T)
#AQAP's official wire has just released its first message in a whole month. Just 2 words: soon. Presumably we will get the answer to everyone's big question: Did the US #drone strike kill #alQaeda's leader in #Yemen Qasim al-Raymi/Rimi or not? Watch this space...
Well this is a surprise. #AQAP's forthcoming release will in fact be an address by its leader Qasim al-Raymi/Rimi in #Yemen apparently embracing the #jihad shooting at the US Naval Air Base in #Pensacola #Florida (On 6 Dec 2019 a #Saudi training at the base killed 3 & injured 8)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1223682653074939904
(B T)
In his 2018 book, #AQAP #Yemen Sheikh Abu al-Bara' al-Ibbi whinges on for 191 pages about how today's jihadis aren't what they used to be. He offers 50 reasons why. #Drone strikes aren't among them. Bit of an oversight...
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1223940026372935680
(* B T)
From 2018: Contemporary Jihadi Militancy in Yemen: How is the Threat Evolving?
This paper analyses how al-Qa'ida (AQAP) and Islamic State in Yemen (ISY) tried to take advantage of the current war in Yemen to expand - with varying degrees of success. It than scrutinizes the various pressures from mid-2016 onwards that have led to the gradual decentralization and/or fragmentation of Yemen’s jihad. This does not mean the terrorist threat is diminishing, but rather that it is evolving. This paper traces the threads of this evolution using primary sources, including the jihadist groups’ operational claims, formal statements, videos, speeches, lectures, poems, and nashids, as well as informal communications on encrypted applications – by Elisabeth Kendall
https://www.academia.edu/37155784/Contemporary_Jihadi_Militancy_in_Yemen_How_is_the_Threat_Evolving
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Government: UN experts report confirms sabotage by Iran in Yemen
Minister of Information, Muammar Al-Eryani has said that the UN panel of experts’ report on Yemen has affirmed that Iran commits sabotage in Yemen.
The state-run Saba News Agency quoted Al-Eryani saying that “the report has confirmed what we earlier said about destructive role by Iran in Yemen.”
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-37668
(A P)
Saudi newspapers: (Al- Maysari and Al-Jabwani) penetrate the legitimacy and the coalition in favor of Qatar and Turkey
In a dangerous development, official Saudi newspapers revealed that two ministers in the official government-backed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are working for its opponents, Qatar and Turkey, describing them as “penetration”, which means “spying” at a high level and a great danger!
Saudi newspapers, including Al-Watan, published reports on the two ministers by name, and described their acts as a breach of legitimacy and servicing of Qatar and Turkey project!
The newspaper quoted Saudi experts as saying that there is a Turkish plan to strike the legitimacy and the coalition, and that this plan brought together a lot of personalities, including the two ministers al-Maysari and al-Jabwani!
The widely spread Saudi newspaper expected that there would be a dispute between facilitator and al- Jabwani on one side and President Hadi on the other side and that what the two ministers were doing against the coalition countries, led by Saudi Arabia and Emirates and through Qatari media, aimed at striking legitimacy to be shown ineligibility, as well as striking the Arab coalition!
My comment: Conspiracy theory.
(A P)
[Hadi] Government warns against Iran’s role on Yemen’s peace
Al-Eryani accused Iran’s official of fueling the conflict in Yemen to settle their disputes with countries in the region particularly Saudi Arabia.
He said that intensity of the military escalation by the Iran-backed Houthis militia increased in Yemen following death of commander of the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Quds forces, general Qasem Soleimani early last month.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-37652
(A P)
Yemeni woman struggling with challenges created by Houthi militia’s coup
[Hadi gov.] Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr. Ebtihaj al-Kamal highly praised Yemeni woman’s bravery and struggle against the Houthi militia’s atrocities and violations.
She said” Yemeni woman has been struggling courageously with several challenges created by Houthi militia’s coup and war”.
(A P)
Saudi Press: Saudi Arabia Rejects Violence, Hate Speech, and Interfering in the internal affairs of other countries
Al-Bilad newspaper said in its editorial that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always called on rejecting violence, hate speech, interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2029097
My comment: LOL, LOL, LOL.
(A P)
[Hadi gov.] Chief of Army’s Moral Guidance: Armed forces protective shield foiled Houthi projects
Head of Moral Guidance of the Yemeni Armed Forces Brig. Ahmed Al-Ashwal said armed forces are protective shield that could foil Houthi projects when the latter’s militia was in full strength.
“What about today when this militia has lost most of its trained elements and most of heavy weapons they looted from the state camps”, after their coup against the legitimate government, he continued.
He said Houthi militia, with backing from Iran and its tools in the region, resorts to media kitchens to promote fake and baseless victories.
(A P)
UAE Parliament condemns interventions in Arab countries' internal affairs
The United Arab Emirates has underlined the importance of consolidating pan-Islamic solidarity by adhering to the principles of participatory dialogue and joint action between all Islamic countries to resolve disputes by peaceful means.
This was stated by Adnan Hamad Al Hammadi, head of the UAE Federal National Council's delegation to the15th Session of the Conference of the Federation of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's Member States held in Burkina Faso on 27-30 January 2020.
Al Hammadi reiterated the UAE's condemnation of foreign violations and interventions in Arab countries' affairs and causes, including the crises in Yemen, Syria, Libya, and Iraq.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/17358
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
Feb. 2: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11045 Sanaa p., Jawf p., Marib p., Najran
Feb. 1: https://www.saba.ye/de/news3086584.htm / https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11028 / https://www.saba.ye/en/news3086574.htmSanaa p., Saada p., Jawf p. Marib p., Jizan
Jan. 31: https://www.saba.ye/de/news3086430.htm / https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11015 Sanaa p.
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3086480.htm / https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11014 Sanaa p., Jawf p., Marib p., Asir
Jan. 30: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11003 Jawf p.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11010 Sanaa city, Sanaa p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Siehe / Look at cp1b, cp2
(A K pS)
A #Houthi sniper shot farmer Ahmed Taher Osail dead in the head while he was watering plants in his farm north the southern province of Al Dale.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1223928595619418112
(A K pS)
A woman and a child were killed and others injured by targeting Houthi group a house in al-Rawdha neighborhood in Marib city
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1223362376013164552
(A K pS)
[Hadi gov.] Yemeni Army liberates key sites eastern Taiz
Yemeni Armed Forces have gained significant advance on Saturday in Taiz province.
The progress was made following a large scale attack the army forces launched, earlier on the day, against sites of the Iran-backed militia eastern the city of Taiz.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/02/01/yemeni-army-liberates-key-sites-eastern-taiz/
(A K pS)
[Hadi gov.] Army troops target Houthi militia in Al-Jawf, liberate sites eastern Sana’a
Scores of Iran-backed Houthi militia were killed and injured during clashes with army forces in Mouton district western Al-Jawf province on Friday.
and also https://al-masdaronline.net/national/296
(A K pS)
KSrelief Masam project manages to dismantle 1616 land mines in Yemen in January 2020, reports
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief)'s anti-land mines project (Masam) has successfully managed to dismantle as many as 1616 different types of land mines in Yemen during the fourth week of January 2020, it was reported here today.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2029009
(* A K)
Yemen's Houthis say recent attacks on Aramco, airports in response to air strikes
Yemen’s Houthi military spokesman said on Friday the group had launched 26 rocket attacks in the past week against airports in southern Saudi Arabia, facilities belonging to oil giant Saudi Aramco and “two sensitive targets deep in” the kingdom.
The spokesman for the Iran-aligned group, Yahya Sarea, said the attacks, which were first announced on Thursday, were in response to air strikes carried out inside Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis for the past five years.
The Saudi authorities have not confirmed the strikes, and the coalition has not responded to requests for comment.
If confirmed, the attacks would be the first by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia since late September
My remark: Earlier reporting: Yemen War Mosaic 620, cp2; 620b, cp17.
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(B P)
Researchers Become Prime Targets in Mideast Power Plays
Authoritarian governments in the Middle East are increasingly willing to seize researchers and academics, who are seen as valuable bargaining chips in their joustings with Western nations, analysts warn.
"The risks now facing researchers in the Middle East are unprecedented," said Jean-Pierre Filiu, a historian at France's Sciences Po university.
Filiu was speaking on Friday at a forum dedicated to two French colleagues, Fariba Adelkhah and Roland Marchal, who have been imprisoned in Iran since their arrest last June.
They have been charged with conspiracy or collusion against national security, while Australian Kylie Moore-Gilbert of the University of Melbourne is serving a 10-year sentence on espionage charges.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/268752
(-)
Photos: Taiz city from up
https://twitter.com/Albaraa_Mansoor/status/1222941570145693707
https://twitter.com/Albaraa_Mansoor/status/1222939671170297856
Photo: Sa’dah Yemen. Agate valley.
https://twitter.com/ammar82/status/1222850124352761856
(* C P)
Black Wave — how Saudi-Iran rivalry has unravelled the Middle East
Kim Ghattas’s history of the Islamic world since 1979 reflects on what might have been
Kim Ghattas’s history of the wider Islamic world since 1979, the year of the Iranian revolution, is a timely and welcome guide to the politics of a region that has long been shaken by regional rivalries — between Saudi Arabia and Iran; between Sunni and Shia — and foreign intervention. Well-researched and elegantly written, Black Wave focuses on the lives of a number of key individuals — from guerrilla fighters, revolutionary clerics and spy chiefs to Sufi leaders and journalists — that played prominent roles or were eyewitnesses to the events of 1979 and subsequent years. The book is particularly strong and vivid at the start, where the author describes the Lebanon of the 1970s, a haven for revolutionaries from around the world and from where some of the Iranian guerrillas would emerge who would play a key role in the toppling of the Shah.
Another strength is that the book connects different countries and regions that are usually looked at separately, such as Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran but also Pakistan, and shows how 1979 was transformative in all of them. And indeed, the late 1970s were a time when much changed across the world. As Christian Caryl argued in Strange Rebels, it was the cradle of many of the defining forces of the 21st century — from the enthusiastic embracing of neoliberal economics to the slow demise of communist rule in eastern Europe through to the emergence of political Islam as a global force.
This is all true and well told. Yet it is not the full story. The notion that all the ills of the Middle East can somehow be traced back to 1979 is popular, and one that is espoused not least by regimes in the region that seek to blame Iran for all of its problems (most recently, Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince of Saudi Arabia embraced this thesis).
https://www.ft.com/content/0b7af154-42ab-11ea-abea-0c7a29cd66fe
(* A)
Films: Horde of locusts blocks out the skies in Saudi Arabia, Yemen
Residents in Saudi Arabia and Yemen have been faced with the bewildering sight of a truly gargantuan swarm of roughly 360 billion locusts, which can block out the sun at times. But an even bigger swarm is coming soon.
The massive locust swarm measures roughly the size of Manhattan and has caused tens of millions of dollars worth of damage, devastating East Africa in one of the worst outbreaks in decades.
https://www.rt.com/news/479938-horde-locusts-saudi-arabia/
(* B)
Climate change linked to African locust invasion
Climate change may be powering the swarms of desert locusts that have invaded eastern Africa, ravaging crops, decimating pasture and deepening a hunger crisis, locust and climate experts said.
Hundreds of millions of the insects have swept over the Horn of Africa in the worst outbreak in a quarter of a century, says the United Nations.
By June, the fast-breeding locusts - already devouring huge swathes of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia - could grow by 500 times and move into Uganda and South Sudan.
The hungry swarms threaten to exacerbate food insecurity in a region where up to 25 million people are reeling from three consecutive years of droughts and floods, say aid agencies.
Keith Cressman, senior locust forecasting officer at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said the swarms formed after cyclones dumped vast amounts of rain in the deserts of Oman - creating perfect breeding conditions.
“We know that cyclones are the originators of swarms - and in the past 10 years, there’s been an increase in the frequency of cyclones in the Indian Ocean,” said Cressman, adding that there were two cyclones in 2018 and eight in 2019.
(* A)
Worst locust outbreak in decades ravages East Africa
Locust swarms have taken over parts of eastern Africa. The insects are rapidly eating the only source of food for many people in a region that is already food insecure.
The crop devastation has prompted the United Nations to appeal for $76 million in aid to combat the swarms and "prevent a humanitarian crisis." The UN has raised about $15 million so far.
"The Desert Locust upsurge represents an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods and has the potential to become a regional plague that could lead to further suffering and displacement," reads the organization's appeal for aid.
The UN is stressing that it needs the money immediately, reports CBS News foreign correspondent Debora Patta.
"They're making no bones about it, they need that money now," Patta said from Johannesburg, South Africa. "It's the worst (locust outbreak) in 70 years for Kenya, and a quarter of a century for Somalia and Ethiopia."
Officials have warned that the insects could increase 500-fold by June if not contained quickly, Patta said. If action isn't taken, the swarms could also migrate to other parts of Africa — and even beyond the continent.
The idea is to spray the locusts aerially while they're still young, and before the population booms.
"We need to act immediately because the locusts don't wait, they will come and they will destroy," said Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director-General for Climate and Natural Resources, in the appeal. "We need to tackle the emergency but we need
Map: http://www.fao.org/emergencies/resources/maps/detail/en/c/1257519/
(* A)
Film: Locust Invasion Of East Africa
https://www.facebook.com/teleSUREnglish/videos/2912014745521219/
(* B P)
Inauthentic Twitter Accounts Continue Pushing For War With Iran
How Twitter’s negligence allows nefarious actors to distort the public debate
I am putting my life in danger by writing this post, but it’s something that absolutely needs to be done.
As a direct result of calling attention to platform manipulation efforts that Twitter refuses to acknowledge (let alone properly address), I have received numerous death threats, I have been doxed, and my Twitter account was frequently the target of (unjust) mass reporting.
In October, I wrote “State-Sponsored Twitter Accounts Pushing For War With Iran,” where, among others, this graph appears:
The post provides a high-level overview of some of the key individuals and groups involved in a massive information operations effort — supported by State Department funding — that has been pushing for war with Iran.
Over the past few days, there has been lots of discussion on Twitter about the legitimacy of the Trending #IraniansDetestSoleimani hashtag.
Social Forensics sampled over 100K tweets (from Jan 6th and 7th) that include the #IraniansDetestSoleimani hashtag.
Next, we compared the accounts from that dataset with the accounts appearing in the graph shared earlier in this post.
Of the 5,454 (active) accounts from said graph, 998 (18%) resurfaced when looking into the #IraniansDetestSoleimani hashtag.
Translated: nearly 1/5th of the accounts (998) identified in our post from October have recently tweeted, retweeted or were mentioned in tweets where #IraniansDetestSoleimani appears
(* B P)
Cryptocurrency and Saudi Focused Platform Manipulation
How dissecting the XRP Army led me to the heart of a state-backed information operation originating in Saudi Arabia
The phrase “XRP Army” has often been used to describe the Twitter community that supports the XRP cryptocurrency.
For those who have no idea what I am talking about, dare I suggest you tweet “XRP is a security”?
While genuine XRP supporting individuals/accounts certainly exist, concurrently vast information operations seek to create the illusion of a larger community than reflects reality.
Saudi Focused Platform Manipulation
Late last month (and on the Friday before Christmas), Twitter announced they were sharing data (and information) about a state-backed information operation that originated in Saudi Arabia:
As you can see below, Twitter asserts the “larger network” was comprised of “more than 88,000 accounts [engaging] in spammy behaviour across a wide range of topics”
Twitter’s investigations traced the platform manipulation to Smaat, a social media marketing and management company
A few days after Twitter released their data, Social Forensics leveraged it to uncover Purposeful Marketing, another Saudi-focused marketing company engaging in similar activity (for more on Purposeful Marketing, please see this post!).
Data Analysis
Social Forensics sought to explore the relationship (if any) between the Arabic language accounts connected to @GiantGox (via Following and/or Followers relationships) and the data shared by Twitter recently.
https://medium.com/@geoffgolberg/cryptocurrency-and-saudi-focused-platform-manipulation-4f195611ec66
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-620-yemen-war-mosaic-620
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-620 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-620:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
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