Security intelligence escapes assassination in southern Yemen

Sana'a, August 21, 2011- A security intelligence in the southern city of Al-Dale escaped assassination attempt and his son was killed in an attack carried out by unknown gunmen on Sunday, local sources said.

The gunmen attacked Ali Al-Bukhaiti while he was outside the Security Department of Al-Dale along with his son Zakaria Sunday evening, the sources said.

Other sources said that an armed group called Hatm was behind the attack but the group did not confirm or deny the assassination.

In the southern city of Abyan, armed militants believed to be Al-Qaeda carried out two suicide attacks early Sunday, killing at least 11pro-government tribesmen.

Source: News Yemen

Yemen group calls for Islamic state

Desmond Shephard | 21 August 2011

CAIRO: A Yemeni Islamic group has called for the implementation of the Sharia, or Islamic law, across the Islamic world, at a recent conference.

Hizb-ut-Tahrir, an Islamist group in Yemen, called at their “One Nation, One State and One Flag” conference for the country to establish and Islamic state in order to unify all Muslims under the banner of Islam.

According to reports, a number of protesters in the country joined in the call to push for the new governance and end the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has cracked down on pro-change protesters over the past 7 months.

The group announced that they hope to “uproot all current regimes separating the Muslim lands, and replace them with an Islamic government,” which they say will “put into operation the laws of Islam rather than that of man-made laws.”

The pronouncement is not likely to have much sticking ground, experts say, pointing to numerous calls over the years from similar groups calling for one unified Islamic government from Morocco to Iraq.

“What we are seeing is people simply trying to voice opinions and gain support among certain groups in these countries,” said one security expert.

Yemen Opposition Council Downplays Southern Leaders' Withdrawal

Sana'a, August 21, 2011-Yemeni opposition National Council, formed Wednesday to unite opposition groups' efforts to oust President Ali Abdullah Saleh, downplayed the withdrawal of the southern leaders, spokeswoman Houria Mash-Hur said Sunday.

Some 23 leaders from southern regions, who were among the opposition's newly-established 143-member National Council, announced in a joint statement their withdrawal as "complain of being marginalized," saying that "the council lacked equality in members between the north and south."

"The mission of our council, which included representatives from all opposition groups, is to achieve the revolution's goals and oust President Saleh, not to discuss such equality between the north and south," Mash-Hur told Xinhua.

Mash-Hur was chosen as spokeswoman while 19 others were elected Saturday by the 143-member National Council as members of the council's higher executive board. The 20-member board chose the president of the National Dialogue Committee of the opposition coalition Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) Mohammed Basindwah as chairman.

"The door is still widely open for anyone who has desire to work with us to realize the revolution's objectives, which mainly focus now on overthrowing Saleh's regime and then addressing the long-running issues of southern provinces, northern Shiite rebels and the abolition of the policy of marginalization," Mash-Hur said.

Veteran Saleh, who has been in Saudi Arabia for rehabilitation from wounds he sustained in June assassination bomb attack on his palace, lashed out at the opposition in a TV speech last Tuesday, vowing to return to Sanaa "very soon."