Posted on 09/12/2004 9:43:56 PM PDT by Nepalis
SAN'A, Yemen (AP) -- Yemeni forces killed anti-U.S. rebel cleric Hussein al-Houthi and dozens of his supporters on Friday, ending over two months of clashes in which over 200 rebels and troops have died.
Houthi was one of a number of rebel leaders in Yemen, but he represented a considerable target having engaged the security forces over a long period. His group is not linked to al Qaeda.
The Yemeni defence and interior ministries, in a joint statement, announced that their forces had killed Houthi in a mountainous area north of the capital Sanaa.
"Today, all the military and security operations to quell the rebellion launched by the so-called Hussein al-Houthi and his supporters have finished with the killing of Houthi and a number of his aides," the statement said.
"President Ali Abdullah Saleh urges all citizens who were affected by the fighting to return to their homes and carry on with their lives," it added.
The government accuses Houthi, leader of the "Believing Youth" group and a Zaidi Shi'ite sect, of setting up unlicensed religious centres and of forming an armed group which has staged violent protests against the United States and Israel.
Security sources said Houthi was killed after troops and armoured vehicles maintained a three-day siege of a series of caves in the Haidan area of the mountainous Saada province, some 240 km (150 miles) north of the capital Sanaa.
His body and those of several aides were found in a cave after an intense bout of fighting early on Friday. Several government troops were also killed, but there was no word on casualties from the defence ministry.
Yemen had offered a $54,000 reward for Houthi's capture and in June security forces launched an operation to capture him in the Saada province. Several top Houthi aides were killed in July and August when most of the rebels' strongholds were seized.
Anti-U.S. sentiment is high in Yemen and other countries in the Middle East over the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Yemen, a poor country of 19 million people, is also fighting to root out militants linked to Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/09/10/yemen.cleric.reut/index.html
Some gotten...and good riddance.
It doesn't seem too healthy to be a rabid islamofacist these days. The fly-paper trick seems to be working.
At least the clashes have ended. And for that, I am thankful. Have a nice day.
/john
What is it with these 7th century nutcases, anyway?
Can't they think of better ways to hide/protect themselves than caves? If modern technology hadn't made these vermin so dangerous, they'd be laughable.
Ping !
I'd wager Task Force Horn of Africa was all over this....WAIT...OH YEAH! WE are teaching those Yemeni forces!
U.S. troops teach Yemeni forces counterterrorism fundamentals
Story By: 1st. Lt. Teresa L. Sullivan
September 2, 2004
SANA'A, Yemen - A six-man mobile training team from U.S. Marine 4th Reconnaissance Battalion out of Texas, Alaska and Montana completed a 16-week training course teaching Yemeni forces the basics in counterterrorism here recently.
Forty-two Yemeni troops from the Central Security Force of the Republic of Yemen graduated Aug. 22 in the capital city of Sana’a following a live fire demonstration, showing attendees their newfound counterterrorism skills to include; martial arts, small arms weapon techniques, securing a helicopter landing zone and hostage rescue.
“It is an honor to observe this graduation. These troops are now able to carry out the basics for the counterterrorism force,” said Maj. Gen. Samuel T. Helland, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa commanding general, about the Yemeni graduates. “I am very impressed with the professionalism and the level of training that’s happened in such a short amount of time.”
The four-month counterterrorism training was led by Maj. Ed Jany, Officer in Charge of the mobile training team, Gunnery Sgt. Ron Holmes, noncommissioned-officer-in-charge of the MTT, from the Echo Company of Elmendorf AFB, Alaska – Sgt. Chris Almquist, Sgt. Jeremiah Dare, Senior Chief Petty Officer Matt Downing from Charlie Company of San Antonio, Texas and Cpl. Matt Nelson from Bravo Company of Billings, Mont.
Graduation day began with a live-fire demonstration by the Yemeni trainees, with Marine trainers standing by. In attendance was the U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Thomas Charles Krajeski, Helland, Republic of Yemen’s Interior Minister Rashad Al-Eleimi and numerous Yemen civil and military officials.
The first aspect of the live-fire demonstration was the small arms multiple shooting drill using AK-47s and Glock 19s – something new for these troops.
“Ten weeks ago these guys had never shot a pistol,” said Holmes. “Now they’re fully trained.”
After the small arms demo, was the Marine Corps martial arts demonstration led by Holmes.
“These guys had never thrown a punch or even been in a confrontation and we trained them in the Marine Corps tan belt level of the martial arts program.”
Attaining a tan belt through the Marine Corp martial arts program involves mostly learning the basic maneuvers and each trainee began from the square one, according to Holmes.
During the remainder of the demonstration trainees performed a reconnaissance and surveillance exercise securing a perimeter and marking a helicopter-landing zone for the insertion of an assault force while calling in for mechanized fire support.
After trainees showed the audience their precision firing of RPGs on target, the team demonstrated what they learned at the dynamic assault course. Two elements of 14 men provided 360 degrees of external security around the target, a shoot-house where a simulated hostage was being held captive. Then the assault force moved forward and initiated an non-extremist-hostage rescue, a term meaning the team went in and rescued the simulated hostage.
“The assault force entered the house engaging the target with precision looking for the hostage,” explained Holmes. “Then they moved to extract the hostage and then went all the way back to the starting point – the insertion point.”
Upon graduation, these Yemeni’s officially became a trained, laudable force, according to Holmes.
“These guys were receptive to the training and we earned their respect,” said Holmes about the training that began each day at 5 a.m. “We pushed and trained them to make them into a semi-elite fighting force. I’d go into a house with these guys.”
Making final remarks, the commander of Yemen’s Ministry of the Interior’s counterterrorism training, Lt. Col. Abdu Rahman, congratulated the graduates.
“This training stops crimes before they happen,” Colonel Rahman said. “Safety and security are important. I would like to congratulate our graduates.”
Yemen, one of CJTF-HOA’s partner countries, is slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming, borders the Arabian Sea, Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and lies between Saudi Arabia and Oman. Its capital city, Sana’a, is hot and humid yet moderate in the western mountains. The terrain consists of narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains.
http://www.cjtfhoa.centcom.mil/news.asp?storyid=92752492004
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