Earlier I made reference to the possibility of renewed terrorist activity in the Arabian Peninsula because of the merger between the al-Qaeda affiliates in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The release of a new most wanted list from Saudi Arabia and subsequent release of an Interpol orange notice for these men led me to believe that terrorist activity in Saudi Arabia or Yemen was imminent. It now turns out that this was indeed the case.
Reading media reports from Middle East outlets is akin to watching a monkey try to swallow a hand grenade – you know its going to be ugly, but you can’t look away. This was certainly the case on February 17. According to press reports, Yemeni authorities claimed to have disrupted a terrorist plot to destroy oil fields and tourist spots by the newly resurrected al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Furthermore, the media also reported that former Guantanamo Bay inmate Mohammed al-Awfi, aka Abu Harith, surrendered to Yemeni authorities two weeks after issuing a video tape claiming he had rejoined al-Qaeda.
Al-Awfi’s surrender is rather curious. First, the man leaves Saudi Arabia to rejoin al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula after his release from Guantanamo and the Saudi deradicalization program, and second he surrenders a mere two weeks after having rejoined al-Qaeda. This action begs the question, did al-Awfi’s surrender lead to the disruption of the plot or did he surrender because of its discovery?
It is possible that al-Awfi was planted by Saudi intelligence upon receiving intel that al-Qaeda was attempting a comeback in Riyadh’s backyard. In fact, Yemeni foreign minister Aby Bakr al-Qirbi publicly stated that al-Qaeda was under control in Yemen. Al-Qirbi would further state that al-Qaeda was, “under security control and censorship” leading one to believe that al-Awfi’s surrender was indeed part of a plan to infiltrate al-Qaeda.
When discussing Yemen it is important to understand that the government has used jihadists in the past to adversaries of the ruing regime. In this case, long time President Ali Abdullah Saleh has used jihadists to target his adversaries in the al-Zaydi tribe in Northern Yemen. What may have happened in this case is the government of Yemen grew worried since the militants that they (sometimes) employ were planning on targeting the lifeblood of Yemen - oil. Regardless of the surrender of a top militant the dynamics of the Arabian Peninsula remain the same. Thus far the Saudis have only brought seven of their list of 85 home. What we have seen in the past month is only the tip of the iceberg.
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2 comments:
What I found odd from the same timeframe is the announcement by Yemen that was later disputed by Saudi Arabia, that Yemen captured a seven man cell of Saudis intent on terror acts. The next day the donors conference was cancelled at the request of the GCC and the Yemeni news agency ran the story that SA was uanble to verify the arrest previously announced by Yemen.
Thanks for the comment Jane. Its always nice to have the commanding General of the Armies of Liberation drop by. I saw the Saudis reaction as well and was not at all surprised. Yemen likes to throw the al-Qaeda name around to keep Washington interested (which, of course you know). The Saudis may be playing coy in an attempt to preserve an ongoing operation which could serve to explain their denial.
A funny occurrence that I neglected to mention was that the Yemeni Interior Minister claimed in an interview with al-Dustour that al-Qaeda does not exist in Yemen anymore. Apparently he and the Foreign Minister do not speak.
On another note, my last duty station was Tobyhanna Army Depot in the Pocono mountains, not to far from your neck of the woods. I was selected as the CECOM NCO of the year at Ft. Monmouth, NJ in 2003. I think my pretty face still graces one of the hallways in the HQ building.
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