This report from Asian Times is pretty blunt in declaring the conflict on the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia to be the newest front in the war against extremist Islam.
The sad thing with this, though it may be true, is that it completely buries and delegitimizes whatever valid complaints the Yemeni Houthis, a Shi’ite sect, have against their government. They have been militating for years now to gain equal rights with other, Sunni, Yemenis. Having fallen under the sway of Iran—or at a minimum, having allowed themselves to be seen to have so fallen—they are now just part of the global problem in the war on terror.
Iran and Saudi Arabia drawn to Yemen
Olivier GuittaA new front on the war against radical Islam is on fire. While one immediately thinks of Afghanistan or Iraq, the flashpoint now is Yemen, which has become a haven for al-Qaeda fighters from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq and has also come under attack from Iran-backed Houthi rebels. A new element of this equation is the entry of Saudi Arabia, pitting it against Iran.
The conflict between the central government of Yemen and the Zaidite – a Shi’ite sect – Houthi rebels has been going on intermittently since 2004. Since August, the intensity of the fighting has risen as a result of regional players becoming involved behind the scenes.
While Yemen is supported by Saudi Arabia, the Houthis are backed by Iran, which has been more aggressive in the past few months in supporting and financing its allies. It has also mounted a campaign to convert people to Shi’ism, targeting several tribes, especially in the Hadramuth region.
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November:10:2009 - 23:47
“, though it may be true, is that it completely buries and delegitimizes whatever valid complaints the Yemeni Houthis, a Shi’ite sect, have against their government.”
I’ve noticed that the Pakistanis have the same problem with the Taliban; the gov’t allowed the situation to get so bad that people then looked upon the government to save them from the Taliban while ignoring its other many real faults. And once the Taliban are gone, those in power will keep reminding the people of that – much of this terrorism is going to have the effect of keeping peoples chained longer than they would have rather than liberating them.
November:11:2009 - 06:50
Iran is trying to lure Saudi Arabia into a war in Yemen.
November:11:2009 - 09:01
????? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ????? ???, ???? ???? ??????
November:11:2009 - 09:05
7ram: I’m sorry, but Arabic text is not being rendered correctly at this time. Might I ask that you resubmit your comment in any language using a Latin alphabet?
November:11:2009 - 12:40
7ram–google.com/ta3reeb and other similar sites will transcribe Arabic script to Latin.
Proxy wars seem even more unfair to the civilian populations who suffer through them. Indeed, local challenges would be better resolved in other ways.
November:12:2009 - 16:15
..and the Saud’s are a proxy for the USA..and the USA is an agent for Israel.