Out today
@EngelsbergIdeas
: I have written an explainer on
#Yemen
's Houthis & the Red Sea attacks
▪️Who are the
#Houthis
& what do they want?
▪️What is the link to
#Israel
-
#Gaza
?
▪️What is
#Iran
's role?
▪️Can they be reined in?
▪️How likely is all-out war?
#ISIS
#Yemen
thwarted by loudly squawking bird:
Heroic bird relentlessly drowns out ISIS-Y's attempt to renew allegiance to the caliph. Leader's feeble memory adds to the woes... These bodged "takes" didn't make it into the official video of this solemn event, released end July
@JohnJCrace
@guardian
I was getting a falafel sandwich in
#Beirut
last night.
Falafel guy "Where you from?"
Me "Britain"
Falafel guy falls about laughing "Here to monitor the protests? [I'm not, but we were speaking Arabic] Look at your own mess! [more laughs]"
So much for British soft power...
Just had a WhatsApp from a tribesman in
#Yemen
's north-east deserts, checking to see if I'm ok. Apparently they've just heard news of how many Brits🇬🇧 are dying from
#CoronaVirus
. How lovely is that?
I wish Brits were equally worried about what Yemenis 🇾🇪 are dying from...
#Yemen
: Finally something that the Houthis, STC & Hadi government can all agree on...
All 3 rival power structures have released warm words of respect, appreciation & condolence on the passing of
#Oman
's
#SultanQaboos
. It's hard to imagine any other world leader achieving this
UK
#Parliament
is currently in an emergency debate on
#Yemen
. Turnout is disgraceful. This is how the House Chamber looks right now. British voters do care about famine, cholera, blockade, sale of UK weapons that *may* kill civilians, atrocities on all sides. Why don't our MPs?
Strongly disagree with views aired in
@Guardian
&
@BBCNewsnight
that revoking
#ISIS
bride
#ShamimaBegum
's citizenship is racist. UK Home Secretary (himself of Pakistani Muslim heritage) acted -rightly or wrongly- because she opted to join ISIS not because of her Bangladeshi roots
Flags at UK royal residences & government buildings are flying half-mast today to mark the passing of
#SultanQaboos
. The special relationship between
#Britain
&
#Oman
- and our monarchs - is long & enduring. All respect to Oman for a swift & smooth transition to Sultan Haitham
The
#Yemen
war could be heading into a new phase focused on the south. There are both regional & international interests at play. Read this important new article by
@gregorydjohnsen
for
@GulfStatesInst
#AlQaeda
in
#Yemen
releases slick new video stoking tensions in south & showcasing attacks on
#UAE
-backed Security Belt checkpoints in
#Abyan
. Title “From the Field” bodes badly: it echoes an action series title from 2014-15 when
#AQAP
ramped up ops in south. Batarfi looks well
The UK's new
#EducationMinister
puts out a statement in which 5 of the 7 sentences contain grammatical errors. My 11 year old niece could do a better job.
UK Foreign Minister's defence of
#Brexit
in
@WashingtonPost
is embarrassing
-We survived World War 2 (Not reassuring)
-Our mighty int'l standing remains (No. But anyway Brexit hasn’t happened yet)
-We have a nuclear deterrent (Hopefully this is irrelevant)
#AlQaeda
's women's wire tackles that awkward question: Men enjoy 72 virgins, but what's so great about Paradise for
#women
? Cue Imam al-Qurtubi (d.1273): Women will be prettier & higher ranking than the virgins. I think it's safe to assume AQ's women's wire is written by guys
New 2-page statement from
#AlQaeda
in
#Yemen
congratulates
#Taliban
on victory in
#Afghanistan
.
#AQAP
concludes that this:
- Heralds wider triumphs & a new era of Islamic rule
- Proves
#jihad
is the way to achieve goals
- Reveals the “democracy game” & peaceful means as a mirage
Alleged new
#AQAP
statement claiming to lead fight vs Houthis in Bayda
#Yemen
is fake (or at best a rogue splinter). Here's why
-Numbered statements fell out after 2017
-Header has been grey since 9/2020
-Was not issued on official wire
-Omits footer
-No parallel CE date
-Style..
#البيضاء
⓵
تنظيم فاعدة الجهاد في جزيرة العرب-ولاية البيضاء يصدر بيانا يؤكد ان التنظيم هو من يقاتل في جبهتي الزاهر والصومعه كقوة اساسيه ولا وجود لقوات هادي فيها كما اكدت لكم اكثر من مرة سابقا.
#Yemen
's Houthis &
#ISIS
claim to be fighting one other in
#Marib
. This claim serves the interests of both. Be sceptical. In January, the UN Panel of Experts concluded that "
#ISIL
may have affiliated themselves with those Houthis that they were fighting" (S/2021/79, Annex 5 p.66)
Seven years ago today, PhD student Giulio
#Regeni
was abducted whilst conducting fieldwork in
#Egypt
. He was tortured and murdered. His killers have not been brought to justice. We will never forget.
#veritapergiulioregeni
#Yemen
: So impressed that tribes in the deserts of
#Mahra
decided to postpone their annual
#camel
race. They sent me a WhatsApp saying they want to help limit
#CoronaVirus
spread. Ten years ago they had barely heard of the internet...
Here's a pic of the event a few years back
Eight years ago today, our PhD student
#GiulioRegeni
was abducted whilst conducting fieldwork in
#Egypt
. He was tortured and murdered. Justice has yet to be done. Today we unveiled a plaque for Giulio. We will never forget.
#veritapergiulioregeni
This breaking news is hard to digest.
#UAE
court has just sentenced British student Matthew Hedges to life in prison for spying. He was researching UAE foreign policy for his PhD.
BREAKING: UAE appeals court sentences UK PhD student Matthew Hedges to life in prison for spying and supplying sensitive information to external actors
Ladies, some good news to cheer up your weekend!
#AlQaeda
has confirmed that “There’s Romance After 40” (latest issue of its
#women
’s guidance magazine, Baytu-ki 6 p.11). Article subtitle is a bit less encouraging: “How do I find it after everything in me has withered?”
#jihad
#AlQaeda
has released a message purporting to be from the suicide bomber who perpetrated Friday's attack on the barracks of southern forces in Abyan,
#Yemen
. He was from Ibb. (Interesting choice of background...)
January issue of
#alQaeda
’s
#women
’s magazine returns to that old dilemma: Men get virgins in Paradise but what do women get?
Sheikh Ibn Jibreen’s fatwa to the rescue: Women will be reunited with husbands & recreated as virgins
No risk of a mass female stampede to Paradise then
What an incredible welcome from Cambridge University's
@GirtonCollege
. I feel very privileged to be here. The "Installation of the Mistress" was a truly memorable and magnificent ceremony!
As reports come in of another missile strike by
#Yemen
's
#Houthis
on a vessel in the
#RedSea
, here's why US-UK strikes are unlikely to act as a deterrent. (From an earlier interview with Germany's DW, live from
@GirtonCollege
,
@Cambridge_Uni
)
Following
@realDonaldTrump
's controversial tweet on
#GolanHeights
, the UK government does not mince its words:
"The UK views the Golan Heights as territory occupied by
#Israel
. Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law"
When I first crossed this desert border between
#Yemen
&
#Oman
before the war, there was barely a vehicle in sight. Now the "no man's land" between them is a massive jam of trucks heading *into* Yemen. No wonder rival groups seek to control this lucrative entry point
#WarEconomy
No,
@ForeignPolicy
, it is not "Time for Peace Talks with
#IslamicState
&
#alQaeda
". This would bestow legitimacy on groups that the vast majority of locals abhor. Far better to address the deep grievances that drive people to join them in the first place
3 weeks ago, an
#alQaeda
-linked media organisation put out an ad for translators. Their English site has now launched. But I suggest the jihadists review their interview process. If they weren't already going down for
#terrorism
, they should all be arrested for grammatical crimes
Now for some good news from
#Yemen
:
How to say "camel's milk" in the Mahri
#language
of east Yemen
Mahri is a distinct & ancient language, not an
#Arabic
dialect. It's also spoken in west
#Oman
. To preserve it, a new Mahri Language Centre is creating a system of writing for it!
Tempted to marry a mujahid?
Dec issue of
#alQaeda
#women
’s magazine details “Husband’s Rights”. Wife is in “custody”, needs his permission to exit home, must “fully service his needs”, wait on "his" kids, not interfere, offer no opinion.
I'm detecting hints the author may be male
Who are
#Yemen
's Houthis & where did they come from? This week's most-viewed paper on my
@academia
page is "Militant
#Jihad
& the
#Houthi
Insurgency in
#Yemen
" (Handbook of U.S.
#Counterterrorism
and Irregular Warfare Operations, 2021). It's free here:
Nice one
@Facebook
. You've removed my piss-take of
#alQaeda
's Xmas message. Yet in May, when I reported the Facebook page hosting 57 full issues of alQaeda's hate-filled newspaper, you told me you couldn't find anything wrong with it...
#ChristmasTurkey
THREAD
What is
#alQaeda
in
#Yemen
?
The
#AQAP
label is losing meaning. It's hastily deployed to describe a range of actors & acts. This clouds what’s really going on. Today, so-called “AQAP militants” fall into at least 5 categories: fake, former, pragmatic, committed, active
This is significant. The
#alQaeda
newspaper, al-Masra, has today been resurrected after 16-month gap. Leads with
#Khashoggi
.
#Jihadist
journalism take is that
#Saudi
is finding scapegoats to appease America & Crown Prince is a "murderer". Story makes it onto 4 of the 8 pages
Former hostage Terry Waite was asked by
@Channel4News
for ways of coping with
#isolation
For the record, STAYING AT HOME is not comparable to being kidnapped in Beirut & held captive by
#Hezbollah
for 5 years. Please can the media stop stoking hysteria
#LockdownNow
#COVID
ー19
Much attention is on
#UAE
military drawdown in
#Yemen
. Remember, UAE
1. is not pulling out
2. is distancing itself from an unpopular, devastating, unwinnable war with Houthis in North & West
3. is increasing its presence in some areas
4. has proxy forces in place across the South
Yes, the threat of
#Yemen
's
#Houthis
&
#alQaeda
collaborating is real but it's neither new nor unique. Three important points:
1. The Houthis have a history of doing business with
#AQAP
when needs must
2. There's evidence they did the same with
#ISIS
2018-20
3. The Houthis are
🔴 Iran-backed rebels providing weapons to former enemies and doing prisoner swaps in fight to overthrow secessionists in south, experts say
Read more 👇
2/ For more analysis on how the relationship between
#Yemen
's Houthis and so-called
#ISIS
has evolved, read my paper for
@NewlinesInst
(especially section 3) here:
Shocking: UK government to resume
#ArmsSales
to
#Saudi
for use in
#Yemen
after finding no "pattern" of violations
Well here's a pattern: For 5 years in a row, the
@UN
Expert Panel has reported Saudi violations in Yemen
Extracts below from UN Report 2020 are just the latest...
NEW
#AQAP
statement on south
#Yemen
(used old header date). Longest for 3+ years
-Strongly against dividing Yemen
-Current events planned by coalition
-Criticizes
#Saudi
, but
#UAE
even more
-UAE deserted Houthi war, exploited south, created “swamp of chaos”
-Solution is
#jihad
#AlQaeda
in
#Yemen
has relaunched its epic magazine Sada al-Malahim after a gap of over 12 years. It's yet another sign that
#AQAP
remains a persistent threat, albeit its brand/concept has evolved. Issues 1-16 were published 2008-11. This is issue 17.
I'm deeply honoured (and utterly thrilled!) to have been elected to an Honorary Fellowship
@PembrokeOxford
. Huge thanks 🙏. So happy we'll be keeping our link alive after I move to "the other place" (
@GirtonCollege
,
@Cambridge_Uni
)!
We are delighted to share that
@Dr_E_Kendall
has been elected to an Honorary Fellowship at Pembroke College! This is in recognition of her distinguished academic career as a British Arabist & her services to the College and its community.
Read more here:
Be wary of articles alleging an
#alQaeda
surge in
#Yemen
. Some conflict parties gain from such news
In fact
-
#AQAP
is fragmented
-Its recent media flood is mostly old footage
-The "1000s of fighters" refers to a 2019 report which was outdated even then
Big news: UN Envoy announces 2-month
#truce
in
#Yemen
from tomorrow
▪️Military offensives halt
▪️Hudaydah ports open to fuel ships
▪️Sanaa airport opens for commercial flights
▪️Space to work on more permanent resolution
It's easy to be sceptical, but right now this is progress
Re US claims yday of
#Iran
's role in
#Yemen
, note
-Iran wasn't the military game-changer for the Houthis 2014-15. Former Pres Saleh was, bringing with him c.2/3 of Yemeni military
-Houthi grievances were domestically generated
-
#Saudi
-led campaign has assisted not diminished Iran
Nikki Haley claims that the U.N. has obtained “undeniable” evidence that Iran supplied Yemeni insurgents with missiles and other arms. But U.N. Secretary General Antonion Guterres reached no such conclusion.
Arabists know to ignore
#Google
Translate. This really useful article by D. M. Varisco lists quality
#Arabic
dictionaries now available online. No need to march around clutching 10 volumes of Lisan al-'Arab...
#Languages
#Saudi
Minister assures the world that the investigation into
#Khashoggi
's killing will show it was a rogue operation. I'm sure it will. But the whole point of an investigation is that one isn't supposed to know the result in advance.
#Germany
has again extended its ban on weapons exports to
#SaudiArabia
. It was due to end Sunday. Germany also called on
#France
&
#Britain
(who had pressured it to lift the ban) to ensure their weapons are not used by Saudi in
#Yemen
.
A government that vets guest speakers for potentially critical views is disturbing. The carefully framed rationale may sound acceptable but I'm sceptical (I've experienced it). And don't forget: these are the folks lecturing universities on free speech...
#Yemen
: As if cholera & diptheria were not enough, measles is now spreading among children. War/blockade has disrupted vaccines/medicine & food shortage has weakened immunity. Measles is not "normally" fatal. But if vaccines & medicine can't get through, children will die.
As tensions rise in
#Yemen
,
#AQAP
releases new video of leader Batarfi blaming all ills on America, Jews, Christians, Iran, Saudi, UAE + agents, who are all somehow aligned. Flatters Abyan & Shabwa tribes & claims UAE/STC efforts to sow discord between
#alQaeda
& tribes failed
My new article on
#IslamicState
in
#Yemen
(ISY) covers 4 questions
1/Why did ISY fail to take root?
2/What are its challenges?
3/What's behind ISY's recent conflict with
#AQAP
?
4/Where next for ISY?
Abstract attached. Or read it all for free via this link:
So here we have a
#Christmas
message from
#alQaeda
. Not exactly glad tidings of goodwill. It promises hellfire even for Muslims if they send greetings for this "infidel festival" & retailers if they display Xmas symbols (er, its own message shows a bearded sheikh in a red suit..)
#AlQaeda
seizes the moment to release new 83-page issue of "One Ummah" magazine - in English. That's significant as it focuses on current challenges like
▪️
#BlackLivesMatter
protests
▪️
#Covid_19
▪️Economic downturn
Frames these as religious issues generated by infidel regimes
Cheeky dress rehearsal for conferring degrees at
@Cambridge_Uni
's Senate House! (Thanks a million to the Esquire Bedell & Praelector
@EMHistoryMaghe
... patience is golden!)
Foreign Office at last apologises to Matthew Hedges
@Mhedgesh
over mishandling his imprisonment &
#torture
in
#UAE
. Let's also remember the unsung heroes in such cases: Matthew's wife Daniela lobbied relentlessly (as did Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband Richard when she was
Where did the
#Yemen
war spring from? And who's in power? Here are my answers in a 2 minute nutshell for BBC Radio today. Hats off to listeners of "Good Morning
#Scotland
" who woke up to these & multiple other pressing questions about this forgotten war
It's not often one gets to unpick the
#Yemen
conflict for several hours on camera. Depressing stuff. Amid all the Ukraine horror, don't forget Yemen. An 8-part documentary series is in the offing...
UK raises
#terrorism
threat level to SEVERE. This assessment seems right. After
#ViennaTerrorAttack
and the spate of attacks in
#France
, further acts of terror (including copycat attacks) are a real possibility.
1/
#AlQaeda
rings in the New Year with a new 46-minute video under
#AQAP
#Yemen
's "Inspire" label, newly branded "Open Source Jihad". It urges
#jihad
attacks inside America🇺🇸, Britain🇬🇧, France🇫🇷 & the EU🇪🇺 as retribution for the
#Israel
-
#Gaza
war.
Explosive statement just released by
#Yemen
's Southern Transitional Council asserts:
"
#alQaeda
&
#Daesh
activity has returned under the cover of the 'legal government', facilitated & supported by its military & security forces"
Specifies Shabwa, Abyan, Hadramawt
#AQAP
#ISIS
1/ New
#alQaeda
video "America Burns" portrays
#Trump
+ his supporters as doing the mujahidin's work for them. Says it was Allah's will that the 4th plane on 9/11 did not reach its target, the US
#Capitol
Building. Watching Americans🇺🇸 destroy it themselves "brings greater joy"
10 years ago this week, Hadi was elected
#President
of
#Yemen
& recognised by the UK, US & other powers. He's still in place. Now seems an appropriate time to remember that:
1. He was the sole election candidate
2. He was elected for 2 years (2012-14)
3. He lives in
#SaudiArabia
New
#AlQaeda
video hammers home Zawahiri's flourishing desire for harmony, tolerance & forgiveness. "Together to Allah 3" modestly admits parts1&2 may have been a bit dry. They were. So is this, apart from a bizarre anecdote of a bedouin who urinated in a mosque (he was forgiven)
Grateful, as ever, to locals in
#Mahra
, east
#Yemen
, for taking great care of me. Tensions are high as various actors, domestic & external, compete for influence & power. Locals fervently hope that their beautiful & culturally-rich region can be spared being dragged into conflict
1) Official wire of
#alQaeda
in
#Yemen
has just released a plea for freedom by
@UN
official kidnapped with 4 colleagues in February. It's emotional. Some is scripted, some clearly not. Begs for
#AQAP
demands to be met or "get the body bags ready"
Latest
#alQaeda
#women
's magazine offers 7 handy tips on how to deal with one's husband, including
-"Attend expertly to his conjugal rights"
-"Eagerly seek his pleasure; don't be lazy"
-Educate "his" kids in
#Islam
-When it's tough just "think of his superiority"
Easy, isn't it?
40% of
#Yemen
's cereal imports come from
#Ukraine
&
#Russia
. Coupled with war & currency collapse, a new IPC Yemen report predicts:
▪️19m will go hungry
▪️3.5m kids under 5 & young mums will suffer acute malnutrition
Millions are relying on tomorrow's UN pledging event for Yemen
Love this!
#Oman
is celebrating its rich heritage of
#poetry
battles by issuing 4 beautiful stamps. This famous "Maidan" tradition comes with
#music
&
#dance
. Both men &
#women
take part. It requires wit, skill & eloquence! (Via
@oman_post
)
#بريد_عمان #عمان #شعر
Horrifying new
#Yemen
report launched yesterday by
@UNDP
&
@GermanyUN
. Data modelling by
@PardeeCenterIFs
shows if war continues:
-By end 2019 75% of Yemenis will be in poverty
-By 2020 it will be poorest country in world
-By 2030 95% will be malnourished
1/ What do we know about the new leader of
#alQaeda
in the Arabian Peninsula,
#Yemen
-born Sa'd bin 'Atif al-'Awlaqi [US sp. Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki] (pictured), who was elected following the death of Khalid Batarfi, announced by
#AQAP
in a 15-minute video address yesterday?
When is a
#famine
not a famine? When it's too hard to access the data to prove it
🙏 Al Jazeera for the opportunity to highlight
#Yemen
's ongoing suffering on
@AJInsideStory
tonight
Privilege to analyze the
#Yemen
war with so many officers from all over the Islamic world. There aren’t many occasions where senior military figures from
#UAE
#Saudi
#Qatar
#Oman
& others can sit together & constructively discuss their takes. Thanks
@NATO_DefCollege
in
#Rome
#AlQaeda
in
#Yemen
’s new video message to
#America
▪️Cheers
#Taliban
victory
▪️Gloats at extracts from
#Biden
’s
#Afghanistan
pullout speech
▪️Says biggest 🇺🇸 loss was reputation
▪️Tells US it will never be safe while it supports
#Israel
▪️Suggests new attacks on US are planned
A new push for a political solution to the
#Yemen
war is underway. Today, the UN Envoy to Yemen begins a 2-day trip to
#Iran
. This is significant. It comes as 🇺🇸 halts support for
#Saudi
offensive ops, stops relevant
#arms
sales to Saudi &
#UAE
, & appoints Envoys for Iran & Yemen
#Yemen
is being debated right now in UK
#Parliament
. Well done to
@alisonthewliss
of
@theSNP
& Keith Vaz of
@UKLabour
for getting this on the agenda
BUT ... the chamber is almost empty. The UK is heavily involved, whether via aid or arms. The least our MPs can do is to show up
Embarrassingly,
#alQaeda
does counter-narratives better than we do:
#AQAP
#Yemen
's new
#nashid
/anthem “Idiot State” mocks
#ISIS
. Strong harmonies, catchy rhythm + sing-along refrain: “You’re not an Islamic state, you’re just a splinter & Baghdadi’s gang”. I'm still humming it...