Yemeni clerics warn on foreign action against al-Qaeda

YEMEN’S COUNCIL of clerics has called for holy war if foreign armies enter the country to fight al- Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

A declaration, signed yesterday by 150 clerics, strongly rejected “any foreign intervention in Yemeni affairs, whether political or military”.

“If any party insists on aggression, or invades the country, then according to Islamic law, jihad becomes obligatory.”

They based their call on the Koranic verse which commands believers: “Fight in the cause of God against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities.”

The clerics issued this declaration not only as a warning to the West but also to urge jihad upon devout Yemenis steeped in knowledge of the holy book.

The clerics also rejected “any security or military agreement or co-operation between [Yemen and] any foreign party if it violates Islamic law” or provides for military bases in Yemen or foreign use of its territorial waters.

While Sheikh Abdul Majid al- Zendani, dubbed a “global terrorist” by the US, was among the signatories of the declaration, it echoes statements made recently by Yemen’s secular nationalist politicians. Foreign minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi observed: “There is a lot of sensitivity about foreign troops coming into Yemeni territory.”

While US president Barack Obama said he had “no intention” of deploying American troops to combat al-Qaeda in Yemen or Somalia, Yemenis do not seem to believe him.

Mr Qirbi acknowledged, however, that al-Qaeda was a growing threat to the country’s stability as well as a problem for the West. Consequently, the authorities have urged citizens to co-operate with the security forces and not to hide al-Qaeda fighters. Yemeni media quoted a security source as saying that “the war . . . against al-Qaeda is open whenever or wherever we find these elements”.

An al-Qaeda leader, Abdullah al-Mehdar, was killed on Wednesday in the restive southeast.

The drive against the insurgents began in mid-December with an operation in which scores were killed or captured.

This was followed by a similar operation on December 24th and the attempt on December 25th by alleged al-Qaeda operative Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a young Nigerian, to blow up a US airliner over Detroit.