Twin roadside blasts in Sana’a today wounded over 20 people, part of a wave of violence that has been escalating despite efforts by Yemen’s government to stem the attacks.
While other regional hotspots continue to see greater numbers of jihadists pass through their territory – German intelligence, for instance, describes Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula as the world’s largest jihadist training ground – the leader of Yemen’s Al Qaeda affiliate (AQAP), Nasser al-Wuhayshi, was recently promoted to a kind of “general manager” for the organization, according to Al Qaeda digital communications intercepted by the U.S. this summer.
The U.S. subsequently staged a series of drone strikes throughout August, though analysts even at the time worried that more action would be needed.
AQAP has recently stepped up its attacks against Sana’a. Last Friday a series of coordinated attacks. Last week a single attack killed 40 people. Another attack targeted Yemeni security officials in a series of coordinated attacks:
Yemeni officials said that 56 soldiers and policemen were killed and an undisclosed number were captured during attacks against military camps in Shabwa province, a known haven and stronghold for AQAP. Eight AQAP fighters are said to have been killed in the attacks.
The largest attack took place at a military camp “responsible for ensuring security at oilfields in Shabwa,” AFP reported. AQAP fighters attacked the camp at dawn, catching the soldiers off guard, while a suicide bomber driving a car laden with explosives was able to penetrate the perimeter. Thirty-eight Yemeni soldiers were killed in the fighting and the blast. Another suicide bomber killed 10 more Yemeni soldiers in an attack at a military checkpoint in the Al Nushaima area of Shabwa. AQAP fighters are said to have captured an undisclosed number of Yemeni troops while other soldiers fled the fighting, AFP reported.
Attacks that week also killed two Yemeni Air Force officers.
Iran provides money and materials to Yemeni fighters, including to Sunni fighters seeking to destabilize Yemen. Sana’a has repeatedly blasted Iran for its interference.
[Photo: Don Reynolds / YouTube ]