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Jeremy Scahill: U.S. Has Ignited Islamist Uprising in Impoverished, Divided Yemen

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Feb. 16 (News Report) - Has U.S. counterterrorism policy in Yemen strengthened the very threat it sought to eliminate? We speak with journalist Jeremy Scahill, who reports in a new cover story for The Nation magazine that U.S. drone strikes, civilian drone casualties and deepening poverty in Yemen have all contributed to the rise of an Islamist uprising. "The arrogance of the U.S. was always thinking that whatever U.S. official was sent to Yemen was smarter than Ali Abdullah Saleh," Scahill says. "[Saleh] was a master chess player, and he milked counterterrorism as his cash cow... [U.S.-supplied] forces have almost never been used to actually battle anyone determined to be terrorists. They've existed primarily for the defense of the Saleh regime." [includes rush transcript]

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What's Happening in the Persian Gulf Explained

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Mother Jones - By Adam Weinstein, Hamed Aleaziz - Jan. 03 (Special Report) - The basics: Iran and the United States appear to be heading for a showdown in the Persian Gulf. Amid already-high tensions over Iran's advancing nuclear program, the US has imposed harsh new economic sanctions on the regime in Tehran and begun to move se

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"The Arab People Have Woken Up": Yemeni Activist Tawakkul Karman Accepts Nobel Peace Prize

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Dec. 13 (Special Report) - Today we complete our coverage with the acceptance speech of Tawakkol Karman from Yemen, the first Arab woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as its youngest winner to date. Karman, a 32-year-old mother of three and an outspoken journalist and activist, has agitated for press freedoms and staged weekly sit-ins to demand the release of political prisoners from jail. She founded Women Journalists Without Chains and has played a leading part in the struggle for women’s rights and for democracy in Yemen.

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“They Just Started Shooting Us From Everywhere”: Scores of Protesters Killed in Yemen

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Sep. 19 (News) - In Yemen, the government's violent crackdown on protesters has intensified, leading to the bloodiest two days in several months. At least 21 protesters have been killed today in the capital of Sana’a. On Sunday, 26 demonstrators were gunned down and hundreds were injured. Demonstrators are calling for an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule as he has repeatedly broken promises to step down. Last week, Saleh authorized his vice president to negotiate a transfer of power with the opposition. The initiative was proposed by the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council and sets the path for a peaceful transition of power from Saleh, who has ruled Yemen since 1978. We go to Yemen for an update from Abdul Ghani al Iryani, a political analyst based in Sana'a and co-founder of the Democratic Awakening Movement. [Check back soon for complete transcript.]

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Aiming to Preserve Autocratic Mideast Rule, Saudi Arabia Helps Crush Uprisings in Bahrain, Yemen

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Jun. 16 (News Analysis) - While the United States remains heavily involved in the Libya conflict, it has been noticeably silent on the violent suppression of popular uprisings against autocratic regimes Bahrain and Yemen, both of which are close allies of Saudi Arabia. In March, Bahrain called in Saudi troops to help crush massive pro-democracy protests. We discuss the role of Saudi Arabia in recent regional uprisings with Toby Jones, assistant professor of history at Rutgers University and a former Persian Gulf analyst with the International Crisis Group.

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CIA Building Secret Mideast Base to Launch Drone Attacks in Yemen

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Jun. 15 (News Report) - The CIA is building a secret air base in the Middle East to serve as a launching pad for armed drones to strike Yemen. Since December 2009, U.S. strikes in Yemen have been carried out by the U.S. military with intelligence support from the CIA. Now, the spy agency is preparing to carry out drone strikes itself alongside the military campaign. The Wall Street Journal reports the CIA, in coordination with Saudi Arabia, has been ramping up its intelligence gathering efforts in Yemen in recent months to support a sustained drone campaign. We speak with Gregory Johnsen, a former Fulbright Fellow in Yemen and now a graduate student in Near Eastern studies at Princeton University.

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Yemenis Celebrate as President Saleh Flees to Saudi Arabia, Transfers Power to Vice President

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Jun. 06 (News Analysis) - Thousands of people in Yemen are rejoicing at the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The embattled leader is reportedly in Saudi Arabia for medical treatment after being injured in a rocket attack on his presidential compound. Saleh temporarily ceded power to his vice president on Saturday night. His nephew remains in command of the Central Security paramilitary forces, and his son, Ahmad Ali Abdullah Saleh, still heads the elite Republican Guard. To discuss the implications of Saleh’s departure, we’re joined from Sana’a by Abdul-Ghani al-Iryani, a political analyst and co-founder of the Democratic Awakening Movement.

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Clashes Spread Across Yemen, Raising Fears of Civil War

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Iona Craig, Amy Goodman - Jun. 02 (News) - Clashes are continuing across Yemen in the growing conflict over President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s refusal to step down. At least 15 people were reportedly killed in overnight clashes in the capital city of Sana’a. Dozens have been killed since Monday, when artillery explosions and machine-gun fire shattered a tenuous ceasefire that lasted less than 48 hours.

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"Friday of Decisiveness in Yemen”: Tens of Thousands Protest as President Saleh Defiantly Rejects Demands to Resign

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - May. 13 (News Report) - Tens of thousands of Yemenis have taken to the streets today for what organizers have called the "Friday of Decisiveness,” days after Yemeni forces opened fire on demonstrators. The death toll from weeks of protests has surpassed 160. The violence comes as Qatar has pulled out of international talks on a deal that would see Saleh voluntarily resign. We are joined on the phone by Iona Craig, a _Times of London_ correspondent, based in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a.

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How to Arm a Dictator - Nick Turse | TomDispatch

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Tomdispatch.com - By Nick Turse - Apr. 28 (News) - All told, over the past five years, the U.S. has provided more than $300 million in aid to Yemen’s security forces, with the dollars escalating precipitously under the Obama administration. In 2008, under President George W. Bush, Yemen received $17.2 million in baseline military assistance (which does not include counterterrorism or humanitarian funding). In 2010, that number had risen to $72.3 million while, overall, Yemen received $155.3 million in U.S. aid that year, including a “$34.5 million special operations force counterterrorism enhancement package.” These funds have provided Yemen’s security forces with helicopters, Humvees, weapons, ammunition, radio systems, and night-vision goggles.

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The Yemen President's Pariah Family

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Daily Beast - By Tom Finn - Apr. 09 (News Report) - After nearly three months of youth-led popular protests, defections by top generals, ambassadors and senior members of his government, Yemen's longtime ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh looks decidedly beleaguered. Earlier this week, American officials, who have previously backed him, discreetly admitted his rule is “untenable.” Even his most loyal backers, including members of his own tribe and longtime aid donors, including Saudi Arabia, are now ushering him toward the exit. Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, tightened the screws further late this week, telling the state news agency that a coalition of Gulf States hoped “to reach a deal with the Yemeni president to step down.”

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Jeremy Scahill and Ex-DIA Analyst Joshua Foust on "The Dangerous U.S. Game In Yemen" & CIA Ops in Libya

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman, Jeremy Scahill, Joshua Foust - Mar. 31 (News Analysis) - Hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Yemen on Wednesday as part of the unwavering protests for the resignation of U.S.-backed President Ali Abdullah Saleh. We speak to independent journalist Jeremy Scahill, who argues the U.S. secret war has unintentionally played a significant role in weakening Saleh's regime; and Joshua Foust, who recently left his post as Yemen analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency. We also get their reaction to the latest news CIA operatives are on the ground in Libya as part of a covert Western force to aid the U.S.-led bombing campaign.

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The Dangerous US Game in Yemen

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Nation - By Jeremy Scahill - Mar. 30 (News Analysis) - The day before US missiles began raining down on Muammar el-Qaddafi's Libya, hundreds of miles away—across the Red Sea—security forces under the control of Yemen's US-backed president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, massacred more than fifty people who were participating in an overwhelmingly peaceful protest in the capital, Sana. Some of the victims were shot in the head by snipers.

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As Mass Uprising Threatens the Regime, A Look at the Covert U.S. War in Yemen

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Jeremy Scahill, Amy Goodman - Mar. 23 (News Analysis) - The crisis in Yemen is growing following high-level defections from the regime of U.S.-backed President Ali Abudullah Saleh. On Monday, a dozen top military leaders announced their pledge to protect the protest movement after 45 people were killed and some 350 were wounded when Yemeni forces opened fire on demonstrators in the capital of Sana’a on Friday—after two months of nationwide demonstrations. In recent years, the United States has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in military and security aid to Yemen. “The Obama administration has really escalated the covert war inside of Yemen and has dramatically increased the funding to Yemen’s military, particularly its elite counterterrorism unit, which is trained by U.S. Special Operations Forces," says Democracy Now! correspondent and independent journalist Jeremy Scahill. "It could get much worse if Ali Abdullah Saleh decides to unleash the U.S.-trained counterterrorist units on his own population."

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Yemen: More Protesters Killed as Political Plans Multiply

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Global Voices - By John Liebhardt - Mar. 05 (News Report) - While Yemen's security forces once again fired live weapons and killed opposition demonstrators, politicians and protesters are attempting behind-the-scenes political manoeuvres to solve a growing stalemate after nearly a month of demonstrations aimed at ousting the country's government.

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Yemeni Forces Use Tasers, Batons, Knives and Rifles to Squash Anti-Government Protests

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Feb. 14 (News Report) - The popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt have raised questions about the stability of several other governments in the region. Over the weekend, thousands of peaceful demonstrators in Yemen clashed with police and pro-government supporters. Tasers, batons, knives, sticks, and assault rifles were directed at the peaceful crowds. We speak to Iona Craig, an editor at the _Yemen Times_, and Sarah Leah Whitson, the director of the Middle East and North Africa Division at "Human Rights Watch":http://www.hrw.org/.

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Yemeni Drone Strikes' Risky Fallout

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Consortium News - By Gareth Porter - Nov. 12 (Special Report) - a cruise missile was launched against what was supposed to have been an al Qaeda training camp in Abyan province in south Yemen. But the strike, which was supposed to have been attributed to Yemen's tiny air force, was based on faulty intelligence. The Yemeni parliament found that it had killed 41 members of two families, including 17 women and 23 children. It was known almost immediately to have been a U.S. strike.

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The 'Broader' Questions About the Secret War in Yemen

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

FAIR - By Peter Hart - Aug. 25 (News Analysis) - Proponents of expanding the CIA's role argue that years of flying armed drones over Pakistan have given the agency expertise in identifying targets and delivering pinpoint strikes. The agency's attacks also leave fewer telltale signs. When a newspaper quotes anonymous officials who argue for expanding an undeclared war in ways that hide U.S. involvement, you might hope that would call out for some balancing perspectives who might question the legality, if not the wisdom, of launching secret deadly airstrikes on a non-belligerent country. But such voices are missing from the Post story.

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Obama administration authorizes assassination of American citizen

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Free Speech Radio News - By Matt Pearson - Apr. 07 (News Report) - U.S. officials say the Obama administration has authorized the targeted killing of a U.S. citizen, a rare and possibly unprecedented move. Anwar al-Awkali – the Yemeni-American radical cleric with ties to 9-11 and both the Fort Hood shooter and the Christmas Day bombing – is now on CIA and U.S. military target lists that approve his killing. Questions surround the practice of including American citizens on the list.

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Guantanamo Death Lawsuit Thrown Out Of Court

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:58:59 -0800

Huffington Post - By Pete Yost - Feb. 17 (News Report) - A judge has dealt a setback to the families of two Guantanamo Bay detainees in a lawsuit that alleges former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, U.S. military officers and medical personnel were responsible for the detainees' deaths. The case alleging unlawful treatment of former prisoners Yasser Al-Zahrani and Salah Ali Abdullah Ahmed Al-Salami is barred by the Military Commissions Act of 2006, U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle ruled Tuesday.

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Yemen steps up Al Qaeda offensive

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

GlobalPost - By Heather Murdock - Jan. 07 (News Report) - Throughout December, fighter jets had swooped over this capital city several times a day on their way to battle the Shiite insurgency in the north. From the rooftops of the Old City, it felt like the war in the north was moving to Sanaa. But this week, the skies were quiet. The war against Shiite rebels in the north, Yemeni officials say, is winding down, and a new one has begun. The military is has made crushing Al Qaeda its top priority.

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Al Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula: A Primer

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

New Republic - By Michelle Shephard - Jan. 02 (Special Report) - On a February morning in 2006, as Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, was jolted awake by the calls to prayer from the city’s mosques, 23 Yemeni prisoners crawled their way to freedom. They had spent weeks patiently digging a 140-foot tunnel that would extend from their basement prison cell to a nearby mosque. Among the escapees were Jamal al-Badawi, the alleged mastermind of the 2000 USS Cole bombing that killed 17 American sailors, and Jaber al-Banna, a Yemeni with U.S. citizenship who was counted among the FBI’s 26 most wanted.

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US Arms Feed Yemen's Gun Culture

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

TruthOut - By Thalif Deen - Dec. 31 (News Report) - When Yemen refused to vote in support of a U.S.-sponsored Security Council resolution against Iraq during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, a visibly angry U.S. delegate turned to the Yemeni diplomat and said: "That will be the last time you will ever vote against a U.S. resolution." Washington's subsequent retaliation, in the aftermath of that negative vote, was predictable. The United States not only downgraded its relationship with Yemen but also cut off all military aid to a country once heavily armed with Soviet weapons.

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Yemen: Magnet for refugees and Al Qaeda?

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

GlobalPost - By Haley Sweetland Edwards - Dec. 30 (Special Report) - Civil war and lawlessness have turned the Arab world's poorest state into an attractive destination for African refugees and, U.S. spy agencies say, an alternative base for Al Qaeda.

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Jamal Dajani: Yemen: A Powder Keg Ready to Explode

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Jamal Dajani - Aug. 07 (News Analysis) - With the recent obsession about the Iranian "Velvet Revolution", the ongoing coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, news from a country like Yemen seldom makes headlines in Western media, especially in the

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