The resurgence of terrorist outfits such as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State (IS) has led to the current escalation in conflicts in the South of Yemen, reports ANI quoting local sources.
The US declared victory over the Islamic State (ISIS) in March this year and retreated from Iraq and Syria but the splinter groups have apparently been surfacing elsewhere, especially in Yemen. The resurgence of AQAP and IS nearly three years after the UAE-led forces had driven them out is equally worrisome, said local reports citing social media posts.
Yemen observers linked the resurgence to the increasing domination of Al Islah in the government of President Hadi. Al Islah, the Muslim Brotherhood's political arm in Yemen, has historically been alleged to have sided with AQAP and IS, sharing similar agenda and vision in the war-torn country.
Ali Muhsin Al Ahmar, the Vice President of Yemen, belongs to Al Islah, and his nexus to these outfits is public knowledge, said reports citing views by commentators and social media posts by globally known militant groups and photographs and videos.
They invariably point to a resurgence in militant activities in attacks on various targets in Yemen over the past month, which were either claimed by AQAP or IS, and they bore unmistakable signs of their familiar modus operandi, said the report listing the attacks.
The AQAP and IS claims of various attacks mentioned above have appeared on their websites, said the statement pointing out the fact that just at the beginning of the current conflict a month ago, an internationally wanted leader Abu Al-Bara Al Baidani was seen attacking alongside the forces of Hadi and the forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the province of Shabwa. The Shabwa Elite Forces, an armed group belonging to the STC, arrested the militant during the confrontation.
However, the government denied the presence of members from the Ansar al-Sharia, a militant umbrella group that includes Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) but several media outlets had published pictures of known Al Qaeda elements fighting alongside Al Islah fighters against the STC in different parts of Shabwa.
(With inputs from agencies)
