Yemen: all you want (2011-2015)

[Azor]

There seems to be little information detailing actual forces on the ground, casualties, or who's winning...

Care to update CB?

[CrowBat]

Well, 'on the ground', not much changed since my 'write-up' posted above. From west towards east (i.e. counter-clock-wise), the situation is something like this:

- Egyptian, Emirati and Saudi warships are not as active along the Red Sea coast as they used to be: guess, at least 1-2 of C.802s fired by YA's Missile Force found its target... question is: which one of 9 fired so far...?

- A mix of Bahraini, Emirati (read: Australian and Colombian), YNA troops (YNA stands for that Emirati/Saudi-sponsored 'army' of pro-Hadi Yemenis, but also Somali mercenaries), plus Sudanese, are trying to punch through the Houthi/YA siege of Taiz since about 2-3 weeks. Without much success. Houthis/YA are occassionally rocketing Camp al-Amiri, outside Zobab (about 40km north of Bab al-Mandeb) with SS-21s and Qaseb-1 (SA-2s used in ground-to-ground mode); most fierce attack took place on 21 December, when at least three ballistic missiles should've hit the area; Houthis claimed 300 KIA, Saudis and Emiratis deny any kind of hits or losses.

- In the centre, not much changed all the way from Ibb, via Dhamar to Marib; that is, one of YA's Presidential Guard brigades counterattacked in direction of Marib few days ago and claimed to have captured a dominant peak there. Houthis/YA are occassionally rocketing al-Anad AB with SS-21s and Qaseb-1s.

- In the northern central Yemen, not much changed either: the much-announced Emirati-supported YNA advance on Sana'a is stalled since months; Houthis/YA are occassionally rocketing Marib and the nearby Safir airfield with SS-21s and Qaseb-1 (SA-2s used in ground-to-ground mode).

- Further north, this 'blitz' of the YNA supported by Saudi SFs appears to have stalled after reaching Nihm. There are no reports from this area since days, and that's certainly no 'good news' - for Saudis.

Some statistics as provided by Yemen Post:
- While the UN and MSM are babbling about 'more than 6,000 killed' since 25 March, authorities in Sana'a alone have issued 7,235 death certificates for CIVILIANs in that city - and this is including 1,820 children. Another 2,045 death certificates for civilians were issued in Taiz. About 36,450 civilians reported as injured in 'northern' Yemen so far. Statistics for southern Yemen (especially Aden and surrounding areas), is not available.

- Saudi-led intergalactic coalition should've flown about 90,000 combat sorties so far, and destroyed 72,925 homes, 62 hospitals, 140 schools, 17 major food warehouses, 37 bridges, and 35 historcially important sites (including about a dozen of UNESCO World Herritage sites) by 20 December...

...gauging from where Saudis and most of their allies are originating, no surprise: one can't expect from people that de-facto emerged out of the desert to have respect for something like some 4,000-years old 'buildings'...

...though, one should be not surprised if Oblabla's idiotic decision to support this adventure is facing ever more backlash, and the image of the USA in this part of the world is at lowest point ever since the USA are present in the Middle East:

HRW: U.S.-Backed Strikes in Yemen Appear to Violate International Law

U.N. blames Saudi coalition for most attacks on Yemen civilians

[davidbfpo]

The article's full title is: Life under siege: inside Taiz, the Yemeni city being slowly strangled; In Yemen’s second most populated city, a Houthi blockade has brought residents previously barely subsisting to the brink of catastrophe:http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...z-yemen-houthi

The Houthis, meanwhile, have laid their own siege: on Taiz. Since early April, when “the resistance” – an alliance of local forces dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood – fought off the Houthis’ attempt to control the city...Access is only allowed through a single checkpoint, dubbed the Rafah crossing by the residents after its more famous namesake on the Egypt-Gaza border. Houthi militia search – and confiscate – medicine, cooking gas, cigarettes, bottled water or anything more than a small shopping bag of food.

[CrowBat]

What the report does not say is that crucial for resistance of 'Islah Party and allies' in Taiz is one of AQAP gangs (not to talk about half the city being controlled by Houthis and allies).

But of course, since Islah/MBs (considered 'terrorists' even by Saudis until few months ago), and AQAP are fighting Houthis, they're now 'allies'...

[CrowBat]

Seems that an F-16C of the Royal Bahraini Air Force was hit by a MANPAD over northern Yemen, yesterday. The aircraft crashed while attempting to reach KKAB in KSA, pilot ejected safely:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b48_1451494048

Photos of wreckage: https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/st...41560138547200

[davidbfpo]

Thankyou to all who post here, as it is unlikely another will post this thread I shall close now before I go out to party. Minus fireworks!

To the others who post here thank you, anyone who follows this thread will have learnt a lot - even if there is rarely disagreement.