Kidnapping and extortion – This is how al-Qaeda used Houthi support to establish its foothold in Yemen
Al-Qaeda has released a video of a UN employee kidnapped in Yemen more than six months ago, pleading for the group’s demands to be met to save his life.
The director of the UN Office of Safety and Security, Akam Sufiyol Anam, confirmed that he was kidnapped with other colleagues on February 11th in Abyan while they were on their way to Aden, the temporary headquarters of the Yemeni government, after completing a field mission, Akam Sofiyol Anam said he faces a serious health problem and needs urgent health care, calling on the UN to meet the group’s demands for his release.
International terrorism
The UN organization announced last February that five of its employees were kidnapped in war-torn South Yemen, where extremist groups are active, including Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the local branch of Al-Qaeda. The ongoing war in Yemen between the Houthi terrorist militias loyal to Iran, and the legitimate government supported by the Arab coalition, has provided a foothold for extremist groups, including ISIS.
However, the strikes launched by the Saudi-led coalition and the United States have weakened these groups in recent years. A UN report recently revealed a similar threat to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and abroad, pointing to the ambition of the organization to carry out international operations.
ISIS and al-Qaeda
The UN Security Council report confirmed that Al-Qaeda operates through committees, including a military committee led by Saad Bin Atef Al-Awlaki, which is not included in the list, and security, legal, medical, and media committees. He explained that despite the recent ceasefire holding, Al-Qaeda is actually exploiting the conflict in Yemen, taking advantage of the success of the strategy of integrating into local tribes, which makes it gain supporters. In addition to the governorates of Hadramaut, Al-Mahra, and Al-Jawf, and after a period not short of restricting terrorist operations, Al-Qaeda is once again active in Yemen, warning of a possible wave of violence in the blood-soaked country, and being an armed organization that moves in security vacuums and conflict areas. The activities of Al-Qaeda and ISIS have been prominent from time to time in a number of regions of Yemen, in exploiting the diaspora and the fragmentation caused by the eight-year war between the Iranian-backed Houthi militias and the legitimate government, especially in governorates under the control of the legitimate government, whose factions are experiencing sharp differences over security and political powers.
Houthi assassinations
With the formation of the Presidential Command Council on April 7th, security tensions in the temporary capital Aden and a number of southern governorates affiliated with the legitimate government, including assassinations of military and media leaders by unknown individuals. The legitimate government accuses the Houthi militia of being behind the attacks and of coordinating with “Al-Qaeda” in an effort to “create chaos in liberated areas in the service of its Iranian project in Yemen.”
