Western papers are leading with the news that Yemeni forces have killed two al-Qaeda suspects. Not so fast, says Mareb Press, which actually names the two individuals killed - Nur al-Din Muhammad Ahmad al-Haniq, 17-years-old and Balal 'Ali Ahmad al-Marani, 22-years-old.
According to Mareb Press both men were members of the Arhab tribe, which is increasingly coming into conflict with the Yemeni security forces. The problem with raids like this, as I detailed in a recent piece for the CTC Sentinel, is that it actually expands al-Qaeda's support within Yemen.
Both the US and Yemen should be extremely careful about whom they target in Yemen, as going after the wrong people risks turning a two-sided conflict between the government and al-Qaeda into a much more murky and multi-faceted conflict that could potentially involve a number of tribes in what would become a war that could never be won.
Well, that’s where I’ll be putting my money.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
I don't know much about Yemen but I do know there's a Shia minority, large minority there and I understand they are a significant amount of recruits in the Yemeni military.
ReplyDeleteThey Yemenis could easily be persuaded to let the US attack AQ who turned out to actually be Shia and keep their own forces out of it.
Most Americans don't know or care about the differences between Sunni and Shia.
All ragheads as far as teabaggers are concerned.
i believe the phrase is: nuke 'em all, let god sort 'em out.
ReplyDelete