Small Wars Journal

Terrorists are Tightening Their Grip on Yemen

Thu, 08/16/2018 - 12:27am

Terrorists are Tightening Their Grip on Yemen by Michael Horton – The National Interest

A recent investigation by the Associated Press revealed that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) may have been bought off by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and the Yemeni forces they back. The investigation cites instances of deals having been made between AQAP, the UAE, and their proxy forces.

The investigation also points out something that was already widely known among those who follow Yemen: AQAP is fighting alongside some of the Emirati and Saudi backed militias that are battling the Houthis, a Zaidi Shia rebel group that controls much of northwest Yemen. For many of these armed groups and possibly for Saudi Arabia and the UAE (both close U.S. allies), defeating the Houthis, a sworn enemy of AQAP, takes priority over concerns about working with Al Qaeda.

The Associated Press investigation, which appears to have been based on extensive in-country interviews, paints a picture of AQAP as an organization that remains as formidable as it is capable. This stands in contrast to the assessment being put forward by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and some Yemen analysts who argue that AQAP is a fragmented organization that has been greatly weakened by coalition backed counterinsurgency operations in southern Yemen…

Read on.