SANAA, yemen — shiite rebels believed backed by Islamic Republic of Iran captive on Yemen’s second-largest town wednesday, overrunning 2 key airfields and forcing the president to escape, threatening the last remnants of the country’s Western-allied leadership.
Some components of city remained control by forces loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi — who abandoned his last-ditch refuge in the seaside city — but the domino-style rebel gains raised questions about how long Hadi’s troops could hold their ground.
The fall of aden to the rebels, called Houthis, would offer the insurgents management of control the capital, Sanaa, and also the country’s main sea gateway.
It conjointly could be the end of Hadi’s bid to cling to power, and also the starting of a fiefdom-versus-fiefdom warfare in an exceedingly country once hailed as a important front within the U.S.-led war against al-Qaeda.
Yemen’s branch of al-Qaeda holds patches of the country and views the Houthis as foes in battles for influence and Yemen’s modest oil wealth.
[Who yemen the Houthis?]
On a broader level, Asian nation represents a potential proxy battlefield for the broader regional rivalries between shiite power iran and also the Gulf Arab states backed by Washington, which had counted on Hadi as a partner in coordinating drone strikes against al-Qaeda.
Amid the widening chaos, Hadi’s whereabouts remained unclear.
Senior security officials told The Washington Post that Hadi had left his residence in aden, where his government sought a foothold after being driven from the capital, Sanaa, by the Houthi rebels.
Yemen’s minister, riyadh Yaseen, told Al Jazeera from Egypt that Hadi was in a “secure” place in aden. Later, however, officials told the Associated Press that Hadi and high aides had escaped by ocean on 2 boats.
The officers spoke on condition of namelessness as a result of they weren't authorized to brief journalists.
Neighboring Saudi Arabia — that has accumulated troops on its border with yemen — offered haven to Hadi’s forerunner, Ali Abdullah Saleh, once he was driven from power by Arab Spring-inspired uprisings in 2012.
Houthi-controlled state tv said a virtually $100,000 bounty was offered for the president’s capture.
Some members of Hadi’s band, meanwhile, perceived to run out of room. Rebels said they had captured the country’s defense minister and a high aide close to city.
[ Yemen’s collapse conjointly sinks U.S. strategy strategy]
Security officials told the Post that Hadi fled his compound simply hours after the rebels declared they had taken the important al-Anad air base, settled but twenty miles from aden. The airfield was once a main link in the U.S.-directed drone missions against al-Qaeda.
Later, the rebels according taking control of Aden’s civilian airport.
Hadi’s government has appealed for military intervention from the gulf’s military alliance, that is anchored by neighboring Saudi Arabia, and has referred to as on the united nations to authorize foreign armed forces to enter yemen.
But gulf states have given no signals of plans for an immediate mobilization to aid Hadi, and also the last units of U.S. and British commandos are force from yemen amid the widening instability.
Saudi Arabia bolstered troops and tanks on its southern border with yemen. nonetheless any ground intervention would need a long and difficult trip through the heart of Houthi-held territory to reach city.
The Reuters news organisation, meanwhile, quoted a Saudi official locution the frontier deployment was “only to defend the country” and not a prelude to a push into yemen.
The unraveling of Hadi’s power over the past months has dealt a significant blow to U.S.-led efforts to wage drone attacks and other pinpoint strikes against suspected strongholds of the Yemen-based branch of al-Qaeda, that is considered among the terror group’s most active networks.
Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels — seen as foes of al-Qaeda — have claimed increasing territory since taking control of the capital in january. Hadi’s government, backed by linked forces, settled to the southern port of city.
Last week, suicide bombers killed a minimum of 137 people at 2 shiite mosques in Sana joined to the Houthi rebels.
Some components of city remained control by forces loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi — who abandoned his last-ditch refuge in the seaside city — but the domino-style rebel gains raised questions about how long Hadi’s troops could hold their ground.
The fall of aden to the rebels, called Houthis, would offer the insurgents management of control the capital, Sanaa, and also the country’s main sea gateway.
It conjointly could be the end of Hadi’s bid to cling to power, and also the starting of a fiefdom-versus-fiefdom warfare in an exceedingly country once hailed as a important front within the U.S.-led war against al-Qaeda.
Yemen’s branch of al-Qaeda holds patches of the country and views the Houthis as foes in battles for influence and Yemen’s modest oil wealth.
[Who yemen the Houthis?]
On a broader level, Asian nation represents a potential proxy battlefield for the broader regional rivalries between shiite power iran and also the Gulf Arab states backed by Washington, which had counted on Hadi as a partner in coordinating drone strikes against al-Qaeda.
Amid the widening chaos, Hadi’s whereabouts remained unclear.
Senior security officials told The Washington Post that Hadi had left his residence in aden, where his government sought a foothold after being driven from the capital, Sanaa, by the Houthi rebels.
Yemen’s minister, riyadh Yaseen, told Al Jazeera from Egypt that Hadi was in a “secure” place in aden. Later, however, officials told the Associated Press that Hadi and high aides had escaped by ocean on 2 boats.
The officers spoke on condition of namelessness as a result of they weren't authorized to brief journalists.
Neighboring Saudi Arabia — that has accumulated troops on its border with yemen — offered haven to Hadi’s forerunner, Ali Abdullah Saleh, once he was driven from power by Arab Spring-inspired uprisings in 2012.
Houthi-controlled state tv said a virtually $100,000 bounty was offered for the president’s capture.
Some members of Hadi’s band, meanwhile, perceived to run out of room. Rebels said they had captured the country’s defense minister and a high aide close to city.
[ Yemen’s collapse conjointly sinks U.S. strategy strategy]
Security officials told the Post that Hadi fled his compound simply hours after the rebels declared they had taken the important al-Anad air base, settled but twenty miles from aden. The airfield was once a main link in the U.S.-directed drone missions against al-Qaeda.
Later, the rebels according taking control of Aden’s civilian airport.
Hadi’s government has appealed for military intervention from the gulf’s military alliance, that is anchored by neighboring Saudi Arabia, and has referred to as on the united nations to authorize foreign armed forces to enter yemen.
But gulf states have given no signals of plans for an immediate mobilization to aid Hadi, and also the last units of U.S. and British commandos are force from yemen amid the widening instability.
Saudi Arabia bolstered troops and tanks on its southern border with yemen. nonetheless any ground intervention would need a long and difficult trip through the heart of Houthi-held territory to reach city.
The Reuters news organisation, meanwhile, quoted a Saudi official locution the frontier deployment was “only to defend the country” and not a prelude to a push into yemen.
The unraveling of Hadi’s power over the past months has dealt a significant blow to U.S.-led efforts to wage drone attacks and other pinpoint strikes against suspected strongholds of the Yemen-based branch of al-Qaeda, that is considered among the terror group’s most active networks.
Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels — seen as foes of al-Qaeda — have claimed increasing territory since taking control of the capital in january. Hadi’s government, backed by linked forces, settled to the southern port of city.
Last week, suicide bombers killed a minimum of 137 people at 2 shiite mosques in Sana joined to the Houthi rebels.
0 comments:
Post a Comment