#news : Al-Qaida inflames sectarian war on Shiite rebels in north Yemen

by Aqeel al-Halali Wang Qiuyun

SANAA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Fears of possible outbreak of sectarian war between Sunnis and the Shiite rebels in northern Yemen raised after al-Qaida in the Arabian peninsula (AQAP) claimed on Friday that it killed the spiritual leader of northern Shiite rebels, Bader al-Deen al-Houthi in a car bombing attack on Nov. 24.

In two separate statements posted on Jihadist forums, the Sunni- devoted AQAP claimed responsibility for the twin suicide car bombing attacks against convoys of the Shiite rebels' followers in northern provinces of Al-Jouf and Saada on Nov. 24 and Nov. 26.

"After we made sure that Bader al-Deen al-Houthi, was confirmed killed in the car bombing attack on Nov. 24, the leadership of AQAP issued an order to prepare another car bombing to intercept the funeral ceremony of this top Shiite leader, which took place three days later on Nov. 26," AQAP said.

"We have formed special units to defend our Sunni brothers, " the terrorist group said in the statement.

In the statement, the AQAP also called on youths of Sunni tribes to join its units and camps to defend themselves and Sunni tribes in northern Yemen, saying that "those operations were the first of a series of future attacks being prepared against the Houthi Shiite rebels."

The attacks against the Shiite rebels, the first of their kind launched by al-Qaida group, which was widely known to be mainly active only in Yemen's southern and eastern provinces, prompted organizations and human rights groups to warn that the northern region is about to break out the Iraqi-style sectarian conflict.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned late last month that there had been an "alarming escalation" in fighting in Yemeni northern restive provinces.

Sanaa-based National Organization for Defending Human Rights and Freedoms "HOOD" said in a statement obtained by Xinhua that " We warn against implicating Yemen into a sectarian civil war openly or secretly".

"We call for all Yemeni political forces not to be dragged into others' plots," it added, warning of deadly consequences that could harm the security and freedom of Yemeni people if such plots were implemented.

The warnings coincided with media reports that Houthi-led Shiite rebel group in northern province of Saada, where has witnessed the sporadic war between government troops and Shiite militants since 2004, set up new checkpoints in the north and arrested three Sunni men believed to be affiliated with the AQAP.

Sheikh Wazie Azeez Sadan, a tribal dignitary in northern province of Al-Jouf, told Xinhua that "Houthis have established six new checkpoints on the road that links Harf Sufian district of Amran province and Barat Al-Anan district of Al-Jouf province."

Sadan confirmed that "fears of possible outbreak of a sectarian war between Shiite rebels and al-Qaida were raised among northern tribes."

"There is a noticeable presence of Houthis in some districts of Al-Jouf, while a growing activity of al-Qaida leaders who travel frequently inside the province," Sadan said.

Sadan warned that the continuous attacks launched by AQAP against Shiite rebels "could indulge the whole region into a sectarian conflict, especially with the existence of hatred- ignited long differences and disputes between Sunni and Shiite sects."

The Shiite rebels, however, played down these fears, arguing that "AQAP is no more than an intelligence tool controlled by the United States."

The spokesman of Houthi Shiite rebels, Mohammed Abdul Salam, told Xinhua that the Houthi group "would not allow the fulfillment of any intelligence plan plotting to get Yemen into a sectarian conflict."

In its 2010 report about the religious freedom in Yemen, the U.S. State Department also took notice of "the increasing hatred and discrimination between the followers of Shiites and Sunnis in northern provinces of Yemen."

"The growing religious and political extremism of Shiite rebels was behind escalating violence between the Shiite and Sunni communities in north Yemen," said the report which was issued in October.

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