Posted on 12/04/2017 6:05:30 AM PST by SunkenCiv
[subtitle: Video circulating online appears to show Ali Abdullah Saleh's corpse being dragged on the ground]
Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed Monday that ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh had been killed as fighting shook the capital Sana'a following the collapse of his alliance with the insurgents.
The claim, which could not be independently confirmed, came as Yemen's long and devastating civil war took a potentially decisive turn.
Heavy clashes were reported in the city between forces loyal to Saleh and the Iran-backed Shiite rebels, who together seized control of Sana'a from the internationally recognized government three years ago.
Moving to take advantage of the chaos, President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, whose government is backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, ordered his forces to advance on the capital.
The Houthi-controlled interior ministry announced Saleh's death on the rebels' Al-Masirah television station.
A statement read on the channel announced the "end of the crisis of militias", referring to Saleh's armed supporters, and "the killing of their leader and a number of his criminal supporters."
(Excerpt) Read more at timesofisrael.com ...
Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh addressing a ceremony to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the British forces withdrawal from Aden, November 29, 2007. (KHALED FAZAA/AFP)
Ex-prez Saleh's faction (which was fighting the legit gov't) was until recently allied with the Houthi, but unlike them wasn't an Iranian proxy. He'd offered to open negotiations with the Saudi-backed gov't forces, and the Houthi didn't like that of course, because their Iranian masters didn't like it.
Good old ME. Can’t tell the players without a scorecard. A hell of mutually hating shifting alliances. Explain to me again why we have our troops in there. And don’t say it’s to fight them there rather than here. They’re already here. We need another timeworn reason to waste American lives and resources in an unwinnable conflict.
Saleh was a Saudi puppet whose treachery earned him a death sentence.
Too early to determine whether this will consolidate the Yemeni forces or further their internal divisions.
Interesting.
Legitimate government? I don't even know what that means. What makes them legitimate? Were they elected? Must have missed that. Why are we carrying water for the Saudis?
** Saleh was a Saudi puppet whose treachery earned him a death sentence. **
Probably 18 hours ago I saw a tweet from Saleh calling the news BS.. Popcorn in the microwave.
Okay, 3 hrs ago, the Tennis Interior Minister announced it officially, Ali Abdallah Saleh is dead.
Less than two hours ago I saw photos of his head wounds.
He's dead Jim.
Did you know that Yemen was ruled by shiites for 1000 years until 1962?
You REALLY think the only reason the Houthis are resistant to Saudi dominance is because they are supposed to be a “puppet” of Iran? Seriously now.
Ever notice how the shiites in Bahrain are treated? They are a majority in that country but are ruled by Sunnis.
Iran's an enemy nation.
Bahrain's Shiites are largely non-native or of very recent origin in Bahrain, having fled Iran and other nearby states for a better life, and found it. Other than those Shiites who think Sunnis are not equal to themselves, the country has surprisingly few problems, considering it's in the Middle East.
Yemen is massively Sunni, and has been since modern unification. Shiites remain disproportionately in official positions.
That a Shiite minority once ruled Yemen isn't surprising, that the Houthi, incited and supplied by Iran, are people you're fond of really isn't either. Thanks for outing yourself as a full-fledged supporter of Iran and Shia Islam.
Yeah, your Houthi heroes referred to him and others they slaughtered as "criminals", that should warm your heart, except that jihadists don't have one..
US troops in Yemen? Really? Where? Are they in your closet as well? Under the bed?
** US troops in Yemen? Really? Where? **
According to the Pentagon three months ago, there were “a small number of US troops” on the ground in Yemen. Quoting Navy Captain Jeff Davis.
and from mid October
According to Captain Jeff Davis, defense.gov’s spokesman for Yemen, the USA does have troops in Yemen.
“Thanks for outing yourself as a full-fledged supporter of Iran and Shia Islam.’
I didn’t know you were mentally ill.
I just pointed out that their country was ruled by Shias for 1000 years until recently, which is historical fact
Does anyone know whose side they're fighting for or are they just hunting down known terrorists?
** Does anyone know whose side they’re fighting for or are they just hunting down known terrorists? **
The US is assisting the Saudis in Yemen.
It's an historical fact that the Shiites didn't rule "their" country, they are and have been less than one third of the population of Yemen since unification, which is less than 1000 years in the past. That just makes you a liar. At least you didn't deny the fact that you are a full-fledged supporter of Iran and Shia Islam.
So how did you come to absolutely believe and assert that a fellow freeper
1) is a supporter of iran
2) is a supporter of islam
3) believes houthis or shiites are a majority of yemen
When none of these things are remotely true?
And when a fellow freeper raises a point of fact from history that refutes an idea you are pushing, how do you end up taking it so personally that you respond with personal attacks?
Yemen was ruled by shiites for 1000 years until 1962.
This is objective fact.
But somehow you have convinced yourself the ONLY reason a distinctly shiite subgroup would object to a leader throwing in his lot with the saudis is because of Iranian puppetry.
No way! If Iran wasn’t in the picture at all, I say they would have the same objection.
Maybe you disagree, that’s ok! Reasonable adults can have differences of opinion and still communicate respectfully and remain friends.
To properly understand international politics, it is helpful to understand the mentality and perspective of the various players.
Understanding their perspective doesn’t mean approving it or supporting it, it just helps you make better decisions.
This is important when these decisions involve spending our nations limited blood and treasure — the lives of people we care about. it’s important to get it right.
So why is challenging this idea of yours such an outrage that you stoop to personal smears and insult?
Why jump to the idea that I’m some kind of traitor acting in bad faith? Can you imagine what freepland would be like if people habitually responded in similar fashion?
Is this how you operate normally or just having a bad day?
p.s. You seemed to suggest i thought yemen was exclusively owned by the Houthi minority. When I said Yemen was “their” country, I had no intention of suggesting that. If I say the USA is my country, it doesn’t mean i think the USA is only my country and the other people have no right to it. It just means I’m American. I was only saying they were Yemeni.
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