Citizens and Yemeni army prevent al-Qaeda from entering Lawdar

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Citizens and Yemeni army prevent al-Qaeda from entering Lawdar

2012-04-12 By Faisal Darem in Sanaa

Local residents were crucial to expelling al-Qaeda from Radaa in January. [Khaled Abdullah/Reuters]

Yemeni army units fighting alongside popular committees set up by citizens in the southern Yemeni town of Lawdar have continued to prevent Ansar al-Sharia, an al-Qaeda-affiliate, from seizing the city since attacks began on Monday (April 9th).

As of Thursday, at least 177 people -- of which 140 are al-Qaeda militants -- have been killed in the fighting around Lawdar and Mudia since Monday, according to AFP.

Two al-Qaeda leaders, field commander Imad al-Manshabi and Dardish Ahmed Mohammed Taher, were among the dead, Yemen's Defence Ministry announced Wednesday.

A number of al-Qaeda militants -- including Saudis, Somalis and Pakistanis -- were killed by army shelling in the Ain Zara region and in air strikes that targeted the militants' assembly point in Um Ain.

The ministry also reported Wednesday that forces from the 111th Infantry Brigade, along with popular committees, were able to expel al-Qaeda militants from Jabal Yusuf, near Lawdar, and destroy several posts the terrorists had set up on the Lawdar-Mukayras road which they were able to re-open. During these clashes, fifteen committee members were killed, including Mohamed Jaabal Sheikh, the director-general of Lawdar directorate.

'This battle will break al-Qaeda's back'

"When the popular committees and the army joined forces in one trench against the terrorists they succeeded in preventing the [terrorists] from taking control of the city," Ahmed al-Rahwi, deputy governor of Abyan province, told Al-Shorfa. "This battle will break the back of al-Qaeda, which took advantage of the period of conflict to take over some areas."

Al-Rahwi praised the committees, which organised into field units and fought in shifts to prevent al-Qaeda militants from taking control of their city.

"We prevented al-Qaeda militants from entering Lawdar. In fact, we defeated them, took some of them prisoner, and seized three tanks and a military crew," Mohammed al-Saadi, the officer on duty in the Lawdar Directorate of Security, told Al-Shorfa.

He said the heavy weapons al-Qaeda used to bombard Lawdar had been seized in previous battles in Zinjibar, Jaar and other regions in Yemen and underscored the importance of cutting off al-Qaeda from its supply lines, which run from Jaar through Shaqra or Azzan in Shabwa province.

Residents: 'We will not allow' al-Qaeda to take control

A Lawdar popular committee leader, Qais al-Khodr, told Al-Shorfa the committees will not allow the Jaar scenario to be repeated in their city.

"The popular committees are fighting to protect our lands and our possessions after seeing the tragedies of the displaced from neighbouring districts and how they suffer on a daily basis, with some of them [living] in schools and others out in the open. We will not allow a repeat of that," he said.

The committees are organized into three units, each comprising 12 groups, in order to protect the directorate from all directions with support from the army, al-Khodr said.

"The popular committees are fighting with personal weapons. The army supplied them with ammunition, but the quantities will not be sufficient should the battle continue for days to come," he said, calling on the Defence Ministry to supply the committees with enough ammunition to carry on their duties in defence of Lawdar.

Newly inaugurated President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi had vowed during his swearing-in ceremony on February 25th to eradicate al-Qaeda so the displaced could return home.

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READER COMMENTS

عبد الوهاب

2012-5-20

God willing, this epidemic will end in our beloved Yemen. We will see Yemen enjoying goodness and wellbeing. This will end in Yemen, because this is not Jihad. Whoever wants to perform Jihad, there are places for it. May God give victory to righteousness and its people! May God guide the Yemenis to goodness!
عبدالوهاب

2012-4-25

The percentage of al-Qaeda in Yemen that has been eliminated is not very large, as long as all the Yemeni tribes are unified under one flag against al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda is considered the first enemy of all the Yemeni people. It was the reason behind the migration of many populations of south Yemen to the neighboring countries, and because of it, the poverty rate increased in Yemen. Al-Qaeda did not go to any country except where destruction prevailed, so most of the southern parts in Yemen have come under the control of al-Qaeda. There are many attempts that are carried out in cooperation between the Yemeni side and the Saudi side to eliminate this misguided category, due to the fear of its infiltration to the other parts of Yemen or any neighboring country. Indeed, it has been disabled for a short period of time, till the Yemeni revolution rose up, and it brought back al-Qaeda individuals performing expansionist acts to extend their control over the rest of Yemen. But this attempt was not successful, and this was due to the success of the security forces, in cooperation with some of the tribal sheikhs, in addressing al-Qaeda’s ghost through expanding their influence over the rest of Yemen’s parts, and due to the success of the process of elimination of those cells and regaining the parts controlled in south Yemen. The sheikhs should unite and there should be cooperation on their side with the security forces. Yemen is considered a tribal country, meaning that it consists of several tribes controlled by the greatest individuals of the tribe. This is what they call the tribe’s sheikh. But, unfortunately, there were internal wars and divisions among those tribes, to glorify one tribe at the expense of the other, and the strongest one is the one that imposes its power over the others. But those divisions are the ones that originally lead to the exploitation of the terrorist cells in expanding their control over large parts of southern Yemen easily.
هارون حميد

2012-4-24

God willing, we will get rid of al-Qaeda by any means possible. Amen, O Lord of the Worlds! Our children are the most precious thing we have. We have to do our best in order to protect them from the malicious terrorist groups. I want anyone who talks to his children to advise them and warn them, so that they don't drift away with these malicious, hateful groups which are part of al-Qaeda. This terrorist organization wants to take every opportunity to kill the innocent people and control the youth by any method possible. I pray to God Almighty to relieve us of these hateful and malicious groups. I hope that all governments pass laws in order to relieve our children of those terrorists. The governments have to assign people to give advice in effective and expressive methods to the youth. I think it is the duty of mothers and fathers to raise their children to love the Islamic religion. They should not let their children do whatever they want to do, such as evil acts. The al-Qaeda organization wants to make up any excuse to do whatever it wants. This organization wants to affect our youth through different methods. God willing, there will be no place for terrorists from now on. O God, keep all the terrorists away from our children and away from all the Arab nations. Protect them from the evil of terrorism and terrorists. Have mercy on us, O God! Relieve us from the terrorists who do not want anything good happening to your kind religion! O God, Lord of the Worlds, bestow security, safety and peace on us! Amen, O Lord of the Worlds!
باسم

2012-4-18

The Yemenis should stand firmly in the face of this awful winds that try to confiscate the courses of its wealth and sending it back to the ages of oppression and aggression. They should make them miss the chance through standing in their face and fighting Al-Qaeda everywhere until they defeat this terrorist organization.
بدويه اسود

2012-4-17

What the Yemeni tribes are doing are a perfectly natural matter and any intrusive groups that spread devastation, tampering, destruction, and distinction between the people of one nation, in addition to shedding blood without any guilt, should be fought. Thus, the fighting of Yemeni tribes against groups of Al-Qaeda is something that must happen and everyone should do this as it is protection and self defense from danger that might damage people, because these terrorist groups are armed elements and a very big danger and threat to the security of Islam and the stability of the country. We all know that the status of Yemen has deteriorated in recent times; therefore it is very important to get rid of any source that causes the creation of more chaos, confusion and meaningless bloodshed of the innocent. Hence, the Yemeni tribes should remain in control of all matters and things so there would not be any breach of security by terrorist groups of al-Qaeda who are trying to impose their control by force and against all the will of the people by using malicious ways and means, which indicate the extent of hatred, violence, crime and ugliness. So, we ask God to bless the Yemeni people with patience and the ability to confront injustice and violence, to remain coherent and united in order to prevent what happened in Iraq and other areas from happening in Yemen.
اكرم السيد

2012-4-17

In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful, and peace be upon his messenger. Where were the troops of the army and the public committees when the Al Huthi followers occupied and took over Dammaj? They tortured the Sunnis. Where were the air force, the public committees and the artillery?!!!
الاصحري الوصيع ق:الرياض

2012-4-17

No, they are the supporters of the devil. This is their painful end. To hell with them; may God fight them!
محمد

2012-4-14

May God give victory to righteousness!