Revival of terror outfits at the core of the current escalation in violence in South Yemen

The resurgence of terrorist outfits such as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State (Daesh) has led to the current escalation in conflicts in the South of Yemen.

According to sources, the resurgence of AQAP and Daesh, according to social media comments and other documents shared by Yemeni citizens, is extremely worrisome, particularly since it is happening nearly three years after the UAE-led forces had driven out AQAP from all its strongholds.

The Yemeni observers linked the resurgence to the increasing domination of Al Islah in the legitimate government of President Hadi.

Al Islah, the Muslim Brotherhood's political arm in Yemen, has historically been hand in glove with AQAP and Daesh in Yemen.

They all share the extremist Islamist vision on the one hand, and their ulterior motives in the war-torn country match.

Ali Muhsin Al Ahmar, the Vice President of Yemen, belongs to Al Islah, and his nexus to terrorist outfits is public knowledge in Yemen, said the sources.

The numerous pieces of evidence shared by the Yemeni commentators include social media posts by internationally designated terrorists and photographs and videos. They do point to a resurgence in terrorist activities in Yemen.

A number of attacks on various targets in Yemen over the past month were either claimed by AQAP and Daesh or bore unmistakable signs of their familiar modus operandi.

On August 1, 2019, a suicide bomber called Aqil Al Muhajir attacked a police station in Khour Makassar district in Aden, resulting in the death of 11, including civilians. Daesh claimed the responsibility for the attack.

The next day, on Friday, August 2, Al Qaeda terrorists attacked a camp belonging to the Security Belt in Al Mahfad. Sources reveal that the terrorists were also seen marching in the streets until they were repelled by reinforcements from the Shabwa Elite Forces.

The Elite Forces combed the entire area and drove out the terrorists. On August 8, Brigadier General Ali Awad al-Mahwari, commander of the rapid reaction forces in Abyan, had a narrow escape from an IED detonated by the terrorists to target him and his team.

On August 14, Daesh claimed the responsibility for the assassination of an army sergeant in Aden.

The next day, they claimed the responsibility for the murder of a youth in Aden, because he belonged to the counterterrorism force.

Another incident is instructive. Yaser Al Has, a media officer working at the office of President Hadi, tweeted on August 24 that the supply lines had been cut off to prevent the Security Belt reinforcements from travelling to Shabwa from Abyan.

In a few hours of the tweet and indicating close coordination between elements in the government and terror outfits, Al Qaeda claimed the responsibility for targeting Security Belt reinforcements on their way from Abyan to Shabwa!

From the assassination of the finance in charge at the Security Belt Forces Ahmed Mansour Al Walidi in the Sheikh Othman district on August 25 to the IED explosion during the march of the Belt forces in the same area on the same day, the number of verified terror attacks increased mfold in the past few weeks.

On August 28, 2019, Al Qaeda also claimed responsibility for targeting the security belt offices in the central building in Al Wadee region in Abyan province.

ISIS claims responsibility for two operations that targeted Security Belt forces in Aden province on August 30, 2019, killing 8 people and injuring 10 civilians.

The AQAP and Daesh claims of the various attacks mentioned above have appeared on their websites. Right at the beginning of the current conflict a month or so ago, an internationally wanted Daesh leader Abu Al-Bara Al Baid was seen attacking alongside the forces of Hadi the forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the province of Shabwa.

The Shabwa Elite Forces, an armed group belonging to the STC, arrested the terrorist during the confrontation.

Even as the government made efforts to deny the presence of Al Qaeda members in their midst, Ansar Al-Sharia, a terrorist umbrella that includes Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), came out with a statement claiming their role in the attack on the STC forces. Several media outlets published pictures of known Al Qaeda elements fighting alongside Al Islah fighters against the STC in different parts of Shabwa.

In an attempt at damage control, Yaser Al Has claimed that the attacks against the STC forces were mounted by the Yemeni army, but by then pictures of Al Qaeda fighters wearing Afgh clothes assaulting the STC forces had appeared on several media outlets and on many websites.

( With inputs from ANI )