Al-Qaeda gets the upper hand in Yemen
YEMENI officials have admitted they are losing the battle against al-Qaeda as the terror group extends its reach into remote, virtually uncontrolled areas.
Regional politicians have presented a far bleaker prognosis than the authorities in the capital Sanaa, who play down the extremist threat.
They say al-Qaeda has forged strong relationships with tribes in the sparsely populated mountains and desert of the south that are in near-rebellion.
On the outskirts of Zinjibar, the ramshackle principal town of Abyan province, Ahmed al-Misri, Abyan's governor, works in an ageing villa set deep in a banana plantation.
Mr Misri is a gloomy man who admits he regrets having taken up the job. Along with the provinces of Shabwa and Marib, his fiefdom forms an ungovernable crescent east of Sanaa and Aden, Yemen's main cities, which many have called ''the new Waziristan''.
With al-Qaeda growing ever stronger and local secessionists gaining such momentum that many predict civil war, Mr Misri is so besieged that he is said rarely to leave his residence. ''To speak plainly, [government control] is not so strong,'' he said.
''We don't have enough weapons. We don't have enough soldiers … if something happens in the countryside, we can't respond because there are no helicopters or aeroplanes.''
Such analysis will cause deep disquiet in Washington, which has indicated it has no choice but to let Yemeni forces lead the fight against al-Qaeda.
Since the Detroit aircraft attack, for which the Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claims credit, Sanaa officials said thousands of troops had been deployed to places such as Abyan. But the governor claimed the deployment was a charade, with troops rotated between provinces to give the impression of a big offensive.
Al-Qaeda has emerged as a potent force in the past eight months after it was reinforced by well-funded arrivals from Saudi Arabia.
As well, thousands of young Somalis fleeing the chaos at home are sailing to Yemen, where officials worry that they could become the next generation of al-Qaeda fighters.
TELEGRAPH, WASHINGTON POST
Regional politicians have presented a far bleaker prognosis than the authorities in the capital Sanaa, who play down the extremist threat.
They say al-Qaeda has forged strong relationships with tribes in the sparsely populated mountains and desert of the south that are in near-rebellion.
On the outskirts of Zinjibar, the ramshackle principal town of Abyan province, Ahmed al-Misri, Abyan's governor, works in an ageing villa set deep in a banana plantation.
Mr Misri is a gloomy man who admits he regrets having taken up the job. Along with the provinces of Shabwa and Marib, his fiefdom forms an ungovernable crescent east of Sanaa and Aden, Yemen's main cities, which many have called ''the new Waziristan''.
With al-Qaeda growing ever stronger and local secessionists gaining such momentum that many predict civil war, Mr Misri is so besieged that he is said rarely to leave his residence. ''To speak plainly, [government control] is not so strong,'' he said.
''We don't have enough weapons. We don't have enough soldiers … if something happens in the countryside, we can't respond because there are no helicopters or aeroplanes.''
Such analysis will cause deep disquiet in Washington, which has indicated it has no choice but to let Yemeni forces lead the fight against al-Qaeda.
Since the Detroit aircraft attack, for which the Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claims credit, Sanaa officials said thousands of troops had been deployed to places such as Abyan. But the governor claimed the deployment was a charade, with troops rotated between provinces to give the impression of a big offensive.
Al-Qaeda has emerged as a potent force in the past eight months after it was reinforced by well-funded arrivals from Saudi Arabia.
As well, thousands of young Somalis fleeing the chaos at home are sailing to Yemen, where officials worry that they could become the next generation of al-Qaeda fighters.
TELEGRAPH, WASHINGTON POST
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