Al-Qaeda now playing a major role in the Yemeni war

                                                    Image source:  Long War Journal
 

Looks like AQAP (Al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula) presently very active in Yemen will be the prime beneficiary of this war. Intervention of Saudi coalition in Yemen backed by US and Britain has helped AQAP grow stronger than ever. As the war drags on, it continues to facilitate AQAP to get more deep-seated inside Yemen, silently establishing its Yemeni emirate and hoisting the same flag as ISIL in Syria and Iraq. The terror group is also trying to win the hearts of people in the marginalized tribal areas of southern Yemen, arranging the availability of food and fuel amidst widespread starvation and misery.

There is plenty of talk among US observers that AQAP is the most dangerous of all AQ groups.  Yet the US government prefers to ignore them.  Though the Shiite uprising in Yemen is viewed as a threat by Saudi Arabia, the United States and its Western allies consider the destruction of Syria and weakening the Axis of Resistance of greater importance.  In the meantime in Yemen, AQAP is successfully moving in ammunition, training new recruits and sending them to the battle front to fight Ansarullah.  For one year until April 2016, AQAP controlled Yemen's Hadramout province including the port city of Mukalla, using it as a base.   It also formed a council to govern the city.

Recently at the end of April 2016, AQAP evacuated Mukalla without much resistance at the behest of the Yemeni government loyal to Saudi Arabia, indicating a spirit of  cooperation between them.  But periodical violence prevails.  The Saudi-backed Yemeni government is in an awkward position to handle its relations with AQAP terrorists because the latter enjoys full support of Riyadh.  There has been not a single incident in which the Saudi coalition bombed any AQAP strongholds.  On the contrary, it has frequently airdropped weapons to the terrorists to launch attacks against the Shiia Ansarullah revolutionists.  In March 2016, BBC reported close cooperation between Saudi coalition and AQAP while taking over the city of Taiz from Ansarullah.  Taiz was one of the most sparkling cities in Yemen now destroyed beyond recognition.  All of that serves the interest of the Yemeni government.  However, AQAP is also eager to devour territories controlled by the  government which is the cause of recurrent and serious clashes between the two. But as a puppet of the Sauds, the Yemeni government will simply have to cope with those periodical shit-storms for AQAP (Saudi Arabia's beloved) seems to be in no mood to leave Yemen any time soon.

Another proxy war sponsored by imperialist powers and their lackeys has achieved its goal. Chaos and terror have permanently been established in Yemen to stifle the voices of those demanding sovereignty.