Why Yemen Released 100 Militants
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Yemen released 100 militants because, like Pakistan, Yemen has a truce with its extremists. The foundation of the deal is in exchange for no attacks in Yemen, (attacks outside Yemen in Iraq, Chechnya, Lebanon and Somalia are OK), the regime will not agressively pursue them within Yemen.
Gulf News reported in June 2006 that Abu Al Feda (a/k/a/ Rashad Mohammad Saeed a/k/a Abul Fida'a) negotiated directly with Yemeni President Saleh who promise not to restrict the movements of released al-Qaeda in exchange for no attacks in Yemen.
He pointed out to promises from authorities to solve the problems facing him and his colleagues after their release. So far, the Yemeni authorities say they have released about 315 Al Qaida suspects for lack of evidence against them."It was also agreed to cancel measures imposed on those who are released, like house arrest, the monthly signing of official register and taking permission if you wish to go another province in Yemen," he said. "The youth should be allowed to travel wherever they wish in the country and outside the country if they get visas like normal citizens."
In October 2006, News Yemen, which describes Abu al Feda as a major figure in Al-Qaeda and former Taliban leader, reported that Feda affirmed the truce is still holding: "The Yemeni government will not enter open confrontations with Mujahideen after the incident". He said that Yemen was the best country to deal with Mujahideen (combatants) when it has adopted the dialogue method.
Also note that Yemen does not criminalize murder outside of Yemen as long as it is in a country that can be defined as Muslim and occupied, and Yemeni law does not differentiate between the killing of combatants and civilians, Muslim or otherwise, as long as it is outside the borders of Yemen. Its not that Yemeni law relinquishes jurisdiction of its citizens, rather that it condones such actions.
Random factoid: the person who signed Jose Padilla's recruitment form was Abu al-Fida.
Prosecutors say the sponsor listed on the form, Abu Al Feda, is the same name on a piece of paper Padilla had when he returned to the United States.Prosecutors also say a cooperating witness who went to an al Qaeda camp will testify that he filled out an identical form.
CNN has learned that witness is Yahya Goba, one of the so-called Lackawanna Six, the group of six Yemeni-American men who spent the summer of 2001 in al Qaeda camps and are now serving seven to 10 years in prison for providing material support for a terrorist organization.
A seventh man who went with the group, Jaber Elbaneh, was among a group of terrorist suspects who escaped from a Yemeni jail two weeks ago.
I have read articles years ago on Yemen that essentially say the same thing.