Mohsen al-Ahmar the financer of al-Qaeda in Yemen

The attack on the Abyan in southeast Yemen, which targeted the security belt on Saturday (August 24th), raised questions about the relationship between the current Yemeni government and al-Qaeda, especially after the government and al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack in two different statements.

Following the attack, Yasser al-Hassani, a journalist in the office of the Yemeni president, announced on his personal page on the social networking site «Twitter», the responsibility of the national army for the attack, and on the same evening Ansar al-Sharia organization affiliated to al-Qaeda in Yemen, claims the responsibility for the attack targeted forces The security belt; resulted in deaths and injuries.

Yemeni press sites revealed a secret relationship between Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and al-Qaeda leader Qasim al-Rimi.

Ansar al-Sharia’s claim of responsibility for the attack coincided with al-Hassani’s statement, proving a link between al-Ahmar’s forces and extremist organizations.

Since the beginning of August, the south of Yemen has witnessed battles between government forces, under the control of al-Ahmar and the security belt forces of the Southern Transitional Council.

Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar’s relationship with al-Qaeda dates back to 2017. Peter Salisbury, a researcher at the Gulf Arab Institute in Washington, accused al-Ahmar of providing fertile ground for extremist groups and factions that later became al-Qaeda.

Al-Qaeda, use the organization’s fighters against the Shiite Ansar Allah movement, known as the Houthis.

There are also letters between al-Ahmar and Qasim al-Rimi in 2017, in which al-Ahmar asked to intensify the presence of al-Qaeda to confront the Houthis and the Yemeni army, which was then under the command of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in return for providing the necessary financial support.

al-Ahmar’s letters included assurances that recruited members of the National Army, members of the Islah Party and the tribes, were ineligible to fight the Shiite tide because they lacked the required fighting doctrine and were constantly seeking funds.

According to press reports, al-Ahmar and the leadership of the Islah Party to grant hundreds of military ranks to elements, including those belonging to al-Qaeda in violation of the laws, as well as granting military ranks to children as young as fifteen.

The reports said that the Muslim Brotherhood has given its civilian members military ranks ranging from the rank of brigade to the second lieutenant.

The reports pointed out that Naif al-Qaisi, who granted himself the rank of brigade among the Brotherhood.

Earlier, the US Treasury listed Naif al-Qaisi on terrorism lists for financing al-Qaeda in Yemen and participating in terrorist attacks there.

Spokesman of the Southern Transitional Council Nizar Haitham says that: The celebration of figures and supporters affiliated with the Yemeni government to attack on Abyan, is a new evidence of the relationship between the government and the forces led by al-Ahmar and Islah party to extremist organizations, and their use against them Southern Transitional Council forces.

In a previous interview, Haitham added that Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar is using his position as vice president to provide support to al-Qaeda terrorists and seeks to use Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda militants to attack UAE forces aimed at stabilizing Yemen.