Free Republic

While the world’s attention is focused on the combat transpiring in Libya and the events in Egypt and Bahrain, Yemen has also descended into crisis. The country is deeply split over its support for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and this profound divide has also extended to the most powerful institutions in the country — the military and the tribes — with some factions calling for Saleh to relinquish power and others supporting him. The tense standoff in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa has served to divert attention (and security forces) from other parts of the country. On March 28,...

Yemeni authorities said they arrested 10 Islamic militants in a major offensive on Saturday in the south of the country and witnesses said four policemen were killed in the fighting. Clashes erupted in Jaar, northeast of the port city of Aden, where police had been hunting for wanted members of jihadist groups. "This campaign comes after dissident elements attacked members of the security forces and government interests, and disrupted peace and security over the past few weeks," a Jaar security official told AFP. Four Yemeni policemen were killed in fighting, witnesses told AFP. But an interior ministry official denied the...