Yemeni government forces have killed over 100 Houthi fighters, including two of the movement's commanders, in fierce fighting in the country's mountainous northern province of Amran.
The Houthi, an armed group from the Zaidi sect of Shia Islam, followed by the majority of northern Yemenis, have been fighting a campaign for independence in the north since 1994. The violence has steadily intensified since the breakdown of a ceasefire agreement in 2004, prompting President Ali Abdullah Saleh to launch ‘operation scorched earth' in an attempt to end the insurgency. The two-week-old offensive has received close observation from Western and Saudi intelligence agencies that fear Yemeni instability could spread or even provide a launchpad for transnational terrorist groups.
The ToD verdict: The Zaidi uprising is just one of several threats to the stability of Yemen. Growing unrest in the country's Sunni populated south from those wishing to reclaim the area's former autonomy has resulted in severe riots and a number of deaths in recent weeks. Al-Qaeda is also thought to have a growing influence in Yemen. Various al-Qaeda leaders have pointed to Yemen as an area of potential control, and a group calling itself al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has been linked to recent suicide terrorist attacks in the country.
Yemen is the Arab world's poorest nation, with dwindling oil resources and growing unemployment. The simultaneous threats faced by the ruling government in Suna'a, on top of its dwindling capability to protect the livelihoods of the country's 20 million people, has led to the European Union's anti-terrorism chief forecasting that Yemen risked becoming a failed state.
Instability in Yemen could have far reaching affects on global security. Yemen shares a large and porous border with Saudi Arabia, through which many Saudi militants have fled following a recent Saudi crackdown. Should the Zaidi gain prominence militarily, Saudi Arabia fears its own Shiite groups could become active against the US-allied ruling monarchy. Instability in Yemen also holds potential of spilling over into the Horn of Africa, where neighbouring Somalia is already embroiled in fighting between government forces and al-Shabab militants.
Yemen is a key US ally in its campaign against the growth of al-Qaeda. Should al-Qaeda continue to gain a strong following in the country, the US will be faced with a tough decision: whether to focus its military operations there and risk becoming overstretched, both financially and militarily, or to support Yemen from afar and risk the growth of al-Qaeda and further instability in the surrounding region.
Taliban in Pakistan name new leader
The Taliban have announced a new commander to take over its operations in Pakistan. Officials from the Taliban in Pakistan (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) have named Hakimullah Mehsud, who already commands fighters in Pakistan's Orakzai, Khyber and Kurram tribal regions, as the successor to the previous commander, Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed by a US drone strike two weeks ago. However, Pakistani intelligence officials believe that Hakimullah was killed during a leadership struggle following the death of Mehsud, and that Sunday's announcement was an attempt by the Pakistan Taliban leadership to buy time until one of Hakimullah's brothers was able to take command after returning from fighting in Afghanistan.
Nigeria's main rebel group vows to resume attacks after ceasefire talks fail
Nigeria's main rebel group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), has promised to resume armed attacks against Africa's biggest oil industry from September.
The statement has overshadowed the gains made during a sixty-day amnesty initiated by Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua, during which rebel groups could surrender their weapons and vehicles without conditions and in return for compensation. MEND, which is a loose coalition of rebel groups, acknowledged that the amnesty has caused a rift in the movement and separated those members which ‘have the zeal to fight for...freedom from those who were in it for the money'. The group has a history of attacks on oil and gas industry facilities and kidnapping foreign workers for ransom, costing Nigeria billions of dollars a year in lost revenues.
Pyongyang makes conciliatory gestures, but US urges Seoul to remain steadfast against nuclear ambitions
The US diplomat responsible for coordinating UN sanctions against North Korea has held talks on Monday with Lee Myung-bak, the South Korean president, following reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has sent word that he wants to hold a summit meeting with Seoul.
The US is pressuring Seoul to continue supporting UN sanctions against North Korea. South Korea recently ended its decade long ‘Sunshine Policy' of giving aid to Pyongyang, equal to 5 percent of North Korea's GDP, in favour of economic assistance. However, North Korea has since made conciliatory gestures towards the South, releasing a South Korean detainee and declaring a willingness to reopen the North for lucrative tourist trips and joint economic projects while permitting family reunions for Koreans separated during the Korean War.
Pakistan foils militant plot against Karachi
Pakistani police have arrested seven men suspected of planning attacks on high profile targets in the country's biggest city, Karachi. Police found suicide vests, explosives and assault weapons in the men's apartment, which was situated in an affluent area of Karachi home to its main stock exchange and central bank. It is believed the men belong to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (Army of Jhang), a group which has been linked to al-Qaeda, and were ‘planning to attack important government buildings and senior government officials'.
Meanwhile in Peshawar, three people were killed and fifteen wounded in a suicide attack on the outskirts of the city. The attack took place outside the home of the brother of Mubeen Afridi, a spokesman for a Taliban-associated group. Local police believe the attack was linked to fighting between two militant groups, Ansar-ul-Islam and Lashkar-e-Islam.
Confession of alleged mastermind behind Baghdad bombing broadcast on Iraqi television
The Iraqi military have released a video purporting to show a Saddam Hussein loyalist confessing to planning last week's bomb blasts in Baghdad. Wissam Ali Kadhem, a former police chief during the Baath era, admitted to orchestrating the attack which killed 57 and wounded 1,000 together with a leader of the banned Baath party living in Syria. Kadhem also claimed that $10,000 was paid in bribes to checkpoint security staff to reach the finance ministry where the blast occurred. However the confession, which was broadcast on Iraqi state television on Sunday night, received a sceptical response from members of the Iraqi opposition who allege the statements were made under torture.
