Yemen: the union of ISIS, the United States and the Arab monarchies
Union of the West and Al-Qaida. This is not an invention of lovers of "conspiracy theories", but a very real situation in Yemen. In early September, the troops of the Arab monarchies invaded this country, supported by the United States and the radical Islamists, with whom Washington is waging a noisy, but more than strange war.
Chronology of the conflict
The close connection of the Western powers with radical Islamists for more than a dozen years is enough to recall Afghanistan or Chechnya. But this symbiosis became truly strategic after the Arab Spring. In Libya, the West used the Islamists to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi, in Syria, the main shock force in the fight against the government are also extremists.
However, by financing and directing the "warriors of jihad", Washington tried not to cross a certain line, beyond which looms the real danger of losing its image as fighters against "international terrorism." Therefore, contacts were for the most part secret, and, moreover, the United States refrained from ties with the most odious factions like Al-Qaida.
But, as is known since the time of Ecclesiastes, everything has its time. The geopolitical interests of the United States force them to get rid of even this already highly conditional camouflage. Like, for example, in Yemen, where the West, the Arab monarchies and the Islamists have created a single coalition. These events are presented by the world media in a very metered way, therefore it is necessary to briefly outline their background.
25-million population of the country in the south of the Arabian Peninsula is divided approximately equally between the Sunnis and the Zeidites - representatives of one of the directions of Shiism. In modern Yemen, they are the poorest, socially and politically disadvantaged part of the population. In 2004, this led to an uprising led by the leader of the Zuidit community Hussein al-Husi. The participants of the speech accused the authorities of corruption, discrimination, and vassal dependence on the United States and Saudi Arabia. The revolt was pacified, Hussein al-Husi was killed, but the resistance did not stop. A few years later, the rebels, who called themselves the Ansar Allah movement, or Hussites, established control over the northern province of Sa'ada. In response, the Yemeni authorities not only attracted supporters of the uprising to supporters of the Sunni Islah party, thereby giving the conflict an interfaith character, but also appealed to Saudi Arabia for help, which brought troops into the rebellious province. The United States, which inflicted airstrikes on hussite strongholds, made their contribution.
In 2011, Ansar Allah participated in the overthrow of President Saleh, but the new head of state, Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi, did not solve any of the problems that led to the uprising. The government continued to sail in the wake of pro-American and pro-Saudi politics, sending hundreds of US troops into the country, ostensibly to counter the threat of al-Qaeda. Unchanged remained reliance on the Sunni radicals.
Two events have become the trigger for the new performance. First, without agreement with the Hussites, a new draft Constitution was adopted, according to which Yemen should be divided into six states with broad autonomy. At the same time, the Zeidite community got the poorest regions - without access to the sea and access to oil and gas fields. Secondly, a severe economic crisis erupted in the country. Under these conditions, the Hussites launched a large-scale peace march to the capital, demanding that urgent measures be taken to curb the crisis and create a government defending the interests of all groups of the population. Without a single shot, having occupied Sana, the protesters eventually obtained concessions from President Hadi, among which were the rejection of administrative-territorial reform, the formation of a new cabinet of ministers, and a number of economic measures. It seemed that agreement had been reached. However, the powerful patrons of Hadi were not thrilled with the growing influence of the Houthis with their anti-American program, the support of Bashar al-Assad and their ideological proximity to Iran. A campaign was launched in the Western and Arab media accusing the Hussites of receiving military aid from Tehran (although not a single fact was presented). The United States, and with their filing, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions against the leaders of the Ansar Allah movement. But most importantly, Mansur Hadi turned to Al-Qaida for help. Militants began to receive weapon from military warehouses and launched a powerful terror against the Zeidites. The West, despite the obvious contacts of the Yemeni authorities with the Islamists, closed its eyes to this. The rebels had no choice but to move to decisive action. They occupied government buildings in Sana'a and imprisoned the president under house arrest. A few days later, Hadi announced his resignation. The leaders of the Ansar Allah movement initiated the start of the national reconciliation procedure. The convened transitional council included representatives of the majority of influential forces of the country.
Further, the events developed according to a scenario that was clearly developed far beyond Yemen. In February, the Hussites released Mansur Hadi on parole to leave politics. However, the former president, settling in the largest city of southern Yemen - Aden, instead declared his own legitimacy and appealed to the Arab monarchies with a request to bring troops into the country. 25 March this year, Saudi Arabia, with the support of several other countries (Qatar, UAE, Egypt), began the bombing of Yemen. The full approval of the operation was expressed by the West.
The United States helps the Arab coalition with intelligence, refuel its aircraft in the air, and also set up a naval blockade of the country that impedes the delivery of humanitarian aid. The beginning of the attack on the Hussites and al-Qaida, with the mediation of supporters of Hadi, seized power in the provinces of Al-Beida and Hadramaut.
The war, which are silent
Over six months, over 5 thousands of people were killed in the country, the majority - civilians. It does not take a week for Yemen not to receive reports about the destruction of a regular hospital, school, factory, residential quarter ... Indignant voices are heard even in the West. Amnesty International accused Saudi Arabia of war crimes and found it necessary to clarify that women and children in Yemen are dying from bombs stamped with: "Made in the USA."
As a result of the bombing and blockade, Yemen will be plunged into a humanitarian catastrophe. 13 millions of people are starving; they no longer have access to elementary medical care. "The extent of human suffering now experienced by the population of Yemen is simply beyond description," said the head of the UN Humanitarian Program Stephen O'Brien after a trip to this country.
However, attempts to draw attention to the situation in Yemen are like a voice crying in the desert. The notorious "world community", pouring crocodile tears over the dying refugees, seemed to have not heard about the war in Yemen. The UN Security Council, at one time calling Hadi the legitimate president, having placed all the blame on the Houthis and thereby actually sanctioning foreign aggression, now demonstrates astonishing indifference. The Security Council’s resolution adopted by 11 September calls for the Hussites and Hadi supporters to begin negotiations and "renounce violence", but not a word is said about coalition strikes and its war crimes!
Meanwhile, massive air raids did not break the resistance. The Hussites were not only not defeated, but were able to occupy new areas. In this regard, the alliance switched to ground operations. In late August - early September, military units from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates entered Yemen. The total number of foreign contingent reaches 10 thousand people. With the support of aviation and hundreds of armored vehicles, these forces launched an attack on Sana'a simultaneously from the south and west. However, significant success, with the exception of the capture of Aden, they failed to achieve.
It is significant that the West, which continues to blame Russia for the mythical invasion of Ukraine, has closed its eyes to more than real aggression against Yemen. But not only this deserves attention. The coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and operating with the support of the United States, took al-Qaida as an ally.
Lesson for Russia
At the end of August, foreign journalists in Aden raised a panic: Al-Qaeda and Islamic State flags appeared above the administrative buildings and the city port. A little later it turned out that the Islamists are not only not going to fight - their troops are included in the anti-Hussite coalition. The offensive commander, Saudi brigadier General Ahmed Asiri, has openly declared that the only opponent of the alliance is the "pro-Iranian" Hussite movement, and a "tactical alliance" has been concluded with Al-Qaida. This was confirmed by the UAE general Nasser al-Otabey. In an interview with the influential American edition of the Wall Street Journal, he said: "Al Qaeda is everywhere. But we have a non-aggression pact with her." In fact, Islamist militants are actively involved in the battles, including near Taiz and in the province of El Beida.
However, neither in Washington nor in Brussels did not react to this, although AQAP (Al Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula) was listed as a terrorist organization and claimed responsibility for the sensational terrorist act in Sharlie Ebdo’s editorial office in January of this year. There is nothing sensational in this: the West is fighting the "international terrorism" to avert its eyes, in fact using Islam to fight against undesirable regimes, including Syrian, Iranian, Chinese (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region) and, in the long run, Russian.
For Moscow, the events in Yemen are a serious call and a reason to think. That is why, to put it mildly, the decisions of the Russian authorities on the Yemen issue are strange. In the UN Security Council, Russia votes in support of American resolutions, as well as the West, closes its eyes to the crimes of the Arab coalition and its alliance with the Islamists. Moscow did not accept the hand of friendship extended by the Hussites, although the Ansar Allah has repeatedly stated that it sees Russia as its ally. Such a toothless policy, of course, only harms the interests of the country and requires immediate review.
- Sergey Kozhemyakin
- http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1431879/yemen-houthi-al-qaida.jpg
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