| New York Times | - |
Al MUKALLA, Yemen - Houthi rebel fighters have taken control of crucial installations in Taiz, Yemen's
third-largest city, including the international airport, security
officials said on Sunday, in a provocative expansion of the seven-month
rebel ...
Relocation of US Personnel From Yemen
Al
MUKALLA, Yemen — Houthi rebel fighters have taken control of crucial
installations in Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, including the
international airport, security officials said on Sunday, in a
provocative expansion of the seven-month rebel offensive that has moved
the country closer to war.
The
Houthis’ advance into the city, over the last several days, also put
them more firmly on a path toward military confrontation with opposing
troops loyal to President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, based in Aden, about
120 miles southeast of Taiz. A senior security official in Taiz said the
Houthis were flying troops and military equipment into the city’s
airport, bolstering claims they were preparing a broader offensive.
Yemen
has been gripped by unusually deadly and widespread violence for almost
a week, raising fears that the impoverished country is headed
inexorably toward civil war. Diplomats have all but admitted failure in
brokering negotiations to end the conflict, while opposing forces on the
ground accelerate their preparations for battle.
Yemen’s
powerful Al Qaeda affiliate has capitalized on the political chaos to
carry out attacks on the security forces. Another group, which said it
was affiliated with the Sunni extremist Islamic State group, claimed
responsibility for suicide bombings at Zaydi Shiite mosques in the
capital on Friday that killed more than 130 people, in one of Yemen’s
deadliest sectarian attacks.
Amid
collapsing security in the country, the United States, a strong backer
of Mr. Hadi, withdrew its last remaining military advisers from Yemen
over the last few days.
The
takeover of Taiz came a day after Houthi leaders issued a call for a
“general mobilization” of soldiers and civilian fighters. The statement
was seen as a declaration of war against Mr. Hadi, who fled to Aden last
month after the Houthis all but forced his government from power.
Mr.
Hadi, who has declared himself Yemen’s legitimate leader, demanded in a
televised speech Saturday that the Houthis quit the capital and
withdraw their fighters from Yemen’s cities.
The Divisions in Yemen
In early 2014, Shiite insurgents known as Houthis
consolidated control over Yemen’s Saada Province. In recent months, they
have expanded their influence.
Controlled by Houthis
Houthis have influence or are able to operate
Areas where Al Qaeda is able to operate
SparSely populated
SAADA PROVINCE
YEMEN
Sana
100 miles
Taiz
SHABWA PROVINCE
Qaeda stronghold
Aden
“It’s
hard to see how to pull back at this point,” said April Longley Alley, a
Yemen researcher for the International Crisis Group, speaking by
telephone from Sana, the capital. “Yemen is really bracing for a nasty,
protracted battle on multiple fronts.”
The
conflict has taken on the features of a regional proxy war, with Iran
backing the Houthis, whose leaders are Zaydi Shiites, and Saudi Arabia
and the other regional Sunni monarchies backing Mr. Hadi.
“The more the region gets involved,” Ms. Alley said, “the more prolonged and bloody and sectarian this will become.”
The
Houthis’ advance on Taiz came with significant assistance from forces
loyal to Yemen’s former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has allied
himself with the Houthis.
It
remained to be seen whether the Houthis could maintain their presence
in Taiz, a city known for its independence and resistance, and a focal
point of protests against Mr. Saleh during the nationwide uprising
against his rule in 2011. The Houthi takeover sparked large protests in
the city on Sunday that were met with violent force by the Special
Security Forces, a unit believed to be loyal to Mr. Saleh.
Dhia
al-Hag Edris, a resident of Taiz who joined the protests, said that
security officers fired tear gas to prevent the demonstration from
reaching the Special Security Forces camp on Sunday. “We oppose the
Houthis because they are turning Taiz into a battleground, and a
corridor to attack people in the south,” he said.
“People in Taiz have agreed to keep the city away from conflicts,” he added.
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