TROUBLE IN YEMEN

A SUICIDE BOMBERS HAS TARGETED HOUTHINIS(SP?) WHO HAVE TAKEN OVER SANAA.
ANOTHER TROUBLE SPOT.

HOUTHINIS HAVE TAKEN SANAA,EFFECTIVELY DEPOSING THE PRESIDENT AND CLASHES HAVE OCCURED WITH SUNNI TRIBESMEN.

TROUBLE CONTUINING IN YEMEN,WITH CROWDS DEMANDING SALEH'S RETURN,GULF STATES CONCERNED AL QAEDA COULD TAKE OVER.
THE SOUTH SEEMS TO WANT TO BREAK AWAY.

100S KILLED/WOUNDED IN SUICIDE BOOMBINGS .
4WAY BATTLE FOR YEMEN UNDER WAY,MIGHT GWT MESSY.

HOUTHIS HAVE TAKEN TAIZ,YEMEN'S THIRD CITY,ONLY 140 MILES FROM ADEN.

Badboy wrote:A SUICIDE BOMBERS HAS TARGETED HOUTHINIS(SP?) WHO HAVE TAKEN OVER SANAA.
ANOTHER TROUBLE SPOT.

Good evening Badboy

As you say another trouble spot. These IS murderers cannot possibly hope to exert control over such areas of land. they do not have the manpower. It seems more an exercise in getting them to stir up trouble amongst themselves and exploit the age old Sunni-Shi'ite rift Personally I just cannot see that it matters so fundamentally who should have been Caliph after Mohammed 1400 and more years ago. Whoever it was would have ceased to be at the gates of Vienna anyway, when they were stopped by superior technology.

This is like us arguing that William the Conqueror and the Plantagenet's should still be the ruling royal family. Lets not even discuss the USA, Australia and much of the African continent.

This is in effect what they are arguing, and killing each other about.

HOUTHIS ARE TRYING TO MOVE TOWARDS ADEN,SAUDI ARABIA HAS THREATENED TO INTERVENE IN YEMEN.

Badboy wrote:HOUTHIS ARE TRYING TO MOVE TOWARDS ADEN,SAUDI ARABIA HAS THREATENED TO INTERVENE IN YEMEN.

Good Afternoon Badboy

It does look as if the Yemen is heading for all out civil war. It has never been a prosperous place, certainly since the British left but now from all reports living standards are going down at an ever faster rate. Of course the armed militias care nothing for that. The Houthis are mostly Shi'ites and so you could say it''s the old Sunni - Shi'ite feud continuing. Complicated by many of them belonging to the Shi'ite sect of Zaidism. More especially so since many in the hinterlands are fiercely tribal in nature and stick to the old precepts of the male is dominant.

It does seem as if the immediate aims of IS are to whip up trouble anywhere they can. In this case The already existing tensions in the Yemen are being played on. The Saudis should be all right because much of their border with the Yemen is the Rub -al Khali or empty quarter, so there is little there, and anyway the Saudis can utterly rely on the US.

Oman is in my opinion much more exposed. their hinterlands are also largely peopled by fiercely hawkish tribesmen, ready to take offence at anything, and all carrying Their Kanjars or knives openly in their belts. Oman's Sultan Qaboos is extremely pro-British so the people are as well, but Unlike the Saudis, able to depend on the US for help I wonder how much help we could give if things start getting out of hand there.

It's just a great pity that the deity these extreme killers pay homage to doesn't teach them any tolerance of any kind.

HOUTHIS FORCES HAVE ADVANCED,THEN BE REPULSED,ALQAEDA HAVE TAKEN OVER A TOWN

Badboy wrote:HOUTHIS FORCES HAVE ADVANCED,THEN BE REPULSED,ALQAEDA HAVE TAKEN OVER A TOWN

Good evening old son

it seems almost like a Greek or Viking scenario, where someone has annoyed the Gods, and been condemned to replay certain actions throughout eternity. In this case you could almost set it to music. The Houthis or Zaidists claim they have been under represented for most of the last 1,000 years. Now, with arms undoubtedly supplied by a thoughtful IS and/or al Queda, they want what they say is rightfully theirs although what exactly it is that is rightfully theirs is a little vague. Personal power seems to cover it.

The Saudis have threatened to act to protect their Southern border, but why is their southern border under threat in the first place? It couldn't be because those same Saudis have been covertly giving the extremists weapons and money to finance their struggle could it? Surely not.

While the men are enjoying themselves paying off old scores, and piling up new ones. Fuzeta reminded us not so long ago that real women and children and yes there are innocent men too, dying for someone else's beliefs. In a war over which they have no control. Watching their children dying for want of medicine and basic food supplies. Cut off by these warring factions. Then government forces come along and drop bombs on them. I wonder what the founder of all this killing and maiming would think.

The real tragedy being that while the vast, vast majority of Muslims just want peace and tolerance to get on with their daily lives. When the extremists take over they too will have to toe the line

Yes they will have to toe the line katertaif as will we. That is why the peaceful Muslims should start speaking out and condem these atrocities and be seen throughout the world doing so.  That would make a huge difference to them and to us.

fuzeta wrote:Yes they will have to toe the line katertaif as will we. That is why the peaceful Muslims should start speaking out and condem these atrocities and be seen throughout the world doing so.  That would make a huge difference to them and to us.

Good morning fuzeta

The problem is twofold as I see it. These extremists whether al Quada, IS, al Shabaab etc. etc. no longer try to hide their aim of global Islam. Yet there are many in the west among our populations who refuse to see it. Some countries are already bowing to what they see as the inevitable.

There is also a very very strong bond shared by a number of cultures, of "my brother right or wrong" Telling tales just is not done, and there are extreme penalties for those that do. Add them together, and it becomes a nightmare for our security forces.

Each fresh atrocity is (in the eyes of the extremists) is justified by our actions (as they see it) against them. whether they are real or imagined. taking only one example of 9/11, a very high percentage of people (and not all of them Muslims) claim that it was not al Queda's doing at all but the US authorities on the orders of George Bush. Despite film of Osama bin Laden gloating over each fresh strike as it came in, and ticking them off on his fingers.

HOUTHIS REPORTED TO HAVE CAPTURED YEMENI DEFENCE MINISTER WHILE REBELS REPORTED TO HAVE ADVANNCED FURTHER ON ADEN.

Badboy wrote:HOUTHIS REPORTED TO HAVE CAPTURED YEMENI DEFENCE MINISTER WHILE REBELS REPORTED TO HAVE ADVANNCED FURTHER ON ADEN.

The news this morning reports a coalition of forces apparently spearheaded by Saudi Arabia with up to 100 warplanes, and up to 150,00 troops (I think that is a shall we say slightly exaggerated figure) With air strikes being made already on Sanaa. Whatever the actual figures turn out to be, I doubt if that will do anything to calm the situation. It will more than likely inflame it. Certainly the innocents in all this which are the vast majority are as usual being hit from all sides.

They are saying Iran is backing and bankrolling the Shi'ite terrorists (that is what they are) I doubt if they will immediately come in with anything more than money, but one wrong move in that part of the world could trigger off a war between countries. Israel would almost certainly be dragged in and would retaliate. It is looking very dangerous, and not only in the Middle East.

On another tack I see the Australians have prevented some would be extremists from defecting to IS. We and the rest of the civilised world are doing the same.I'm not sure that is such a brilliant idea. It could very easily create a fifth column. If they have extremist leanings and are prevented from going to fight alongside their brothers in arms, what would be more natural than to start plotting here/Australia or wherever. Our security forces are stretched now.

fuzeta wrote:Yes they will have to toe the line katertaif as will we. That is why the peaceful Muslims should start speaking out and condem these atrocities and be seen throughout the world doing so.  That would make a huge difference to them and to us.

Good morning fuzeta

As you say they would be as subjugated as us. We have seen the kind of justice and mercy meted out in areas controlled by the various terror groups. Non Muslim women being regarded as fair game and lucky if not forced into brothels. burnings, beheadings and out of hand shootings become commonplace. The cost of living goes up while the standard of living goes down. Random attacks on any churches the list goes on and on.

We have also seen what happens to defectors and "tale bearers". The only country capable of dealing with this, the most dangerous threat the world has so far seen, is standing back on the orders of it's president. Sooner or later the world will have to mobilise against these killers, the danger being that there will come a point when it is too late. When Iran has nuclear capability and starts to give that technology to the terrorists will be that point.

PRESIDWNT HAS FLED TO SAUDI ARABIA,SITUATION VERY SERIOUS WITH SAUDI LED BOMBINGS OF HOUTHI REBELS.
HOPEFULLY A FULLBLOWN WAR WILL NOT RESULT.

Badboy wrote:PRESIDWNT HAS FLED TO SAUDI ARABIA,SITUATION VERY SERIOUS WITH SAUDI LED BOMBINGS OF HOUTHI REBELS.
HOPEFULLY A FULLBLOWN WAR WILL NOT RESULT.

Good morning Badboy (well it was morning when I started,, but my government demanded my attention for something else and I have been married to her for long enough to know my place. The first and only rule is obedience)

I personally feel we are already in a full blown war, albeit an undeclared one. Almost the entire Middle East is in the grip of armed terrorist factions who care nothing for life and in fact even gladly kill themselves believing they are going to paradise. The destruction of Israel is the constant goal, and of course the people have no say in any of it. Yes, the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful, and tolerant and simply want to get on with their lives. That still leaves the  fanatics who either by accident or design misinterpret their holy book in such a way as to claim their deity wants them to kill all infidels.

That being the case, and since we are condemned to roast in hell for all eternity and only good for being killed anyway, why did he bother to create us in the first place? Have any of these terrorists asked themselves that?

As I said before I only wish I knew the answer to it.  A cosmic accident finished the dinosaurs, it looks as if we are going to manage the same thing by ourselves insofar as our humanity has lagged far behind our technology.

HOUTHIS REBELS HAVE TAKEN A PORT 100KM FROM ADEN,AIRSTRIKES HAVING NO EFFECT, APPEARS ONLY GROUND FORCES WILL CHANGE THIS.

Badboy wrote:HOUTHIS REBELS HAVE TAKEN A PORT 100KM FROM ADEN,AIRSTRIKES HAVING NO EFFECT, APPEARS ONLY GROUND FORCES WILL CHANGE THIS.

This has always been the problem with airstrikes. They have a role to play, but not a decisive one. I'm afraid I also have to question the accuracy of some of those strikes. having been on the Taif air base enough to see what their capabilities were compared with the US & UK "instructors"

HOUTHIS REBELS NOW TRYING TO CAPTURE ADEN AIRPORT.

GUNFIGHT IN CRATER AREA OF ADEN,HOUTHIS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN PUSHED BACK OUT OF ADEN/AIRPORT AREA.
SAUDIS SAID TO HAVE DESTROYED YEMENI FIGHTER AIRCRAFT.

Badboy wrote:GUNFIGHT IN CRATER AREA OF ADEN,HOUTHIS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN  PUSHED BACK OUT OF ADEN/AIRPORT AREA.
SAUDIS SAID TO HAVE DESTROYED YEMENI FIGHTER AIRCRAFT.

Good evening Badboy.

Yes the Houthis seem to have been pushed back for the moment no doubt they will return, in greater strength. That seems to be the way it goes in Iraq/Syria, and now the Yemen with trouble being stirred up elsewhere as opportunity allows. The sheer numbers of these extremists is cause for extreme alarm among our leaders, instead of certain MP's cautioning that we don't want to upset them. While the extremists among them, don't seem to mind how much they upset us. I also have to say I am suspicious of president Obama's motives.

A German friend of mine who had been in the Hitler youth (not that he had a choice) once commented that in the early years of his rise to power Hitler did the right things, but for the wrong reasons. President Obama, and indeed most of the leaders of the western democracies seem to me to be in danger of doing the wrong things for the right reasons.

SAUDI NAVAL FORCES BLOCKADING YEMENI COAST,HOUTHIS SUPPOSEDLY IN CENTRAL ADEN,MIGHT BE APRIL FOOLS.

HOUTHIS HAVE RETREATED A BIT IN ADEN,SAUDIS HAVE DROPPED WEAPONS TO ANTI-HOUTHIS FORCES.
AL QAEDA HAVE TAKEN OVER MUKALLA,THINK IS MIDWAY BETWEEN ADEN AND OMANI BORDER,HADRAMUT IS WHERE BIN LADEN FAMILY COMES FROM.

Badboy wrote:HOUTHIS HAVE RETREATED A BIT IN ADEN,SAUDIS HAVE DROPPED WEAPONS TO ANTI-HOUTHIS FORCES.
AL QAEDA HAVE TAKEN OVER MUKALLA,THINK IS MIDWAY BETWEEN ADEN AND OMANI BORDER,HADRAMUT IS WHERE BIN LADEN FAMILY COMES FROM.

Good morning Badboy

As you say Mukalla is approximately half way to the Omani border from Aden. I understand that there are new developments there, in that Yemeni Tribesmen have attacked al Queda forces to drive them out. These tribesmen are fiercely independent and will take mortal offence at the slightest provocation.

from that it's difficult to determine whether al Queda has done something to annoy them or if it's the never ending Sunni-Shi'ite war. I think the aim from al Queda's point of view is to destabilise Oman. Sultan Qaboos is very pro British, especially since we got him out of chokey after his dad locked him up. The country is about the most stable of the Arab countries, and the people generally content. From al Queda's viewpoint that is an intolerable situation.