One of the fiercest attacks on Al-Qaeda in more than a 5 years in Yemen occurred late last week when a government airstrike killed at least 65 people from Abyan. The problem is that 90% of those killed were innocent locals, children and women. Only a few of the killed were Al-Qaeda followers as according to sources, most of them were able to flee the region and escape.
In result, another massacre takes place and more innocent people die.
Why is it in war that the innocent die while soldiers and criminals stay alive? Isn’t it supposed to be the opposite? Sitting with a number of high ranking officials this week, I brought up the topic of the innocent civilians who were killed in Abyan. Most of them were defending the attacks claiming that the civilians brought death to themselves because they allowed Al-Qaeda to make a training camp in the region. My question is: is it their fault that the government allowed them to have camps near their houses. Dozens of locals informed the government of the Al-Qaeda training camp, which has been there for more than four months, but the government did nothing about it.
What were the locals supposed to do, fight them? If so, what is the duty of the government in Yemen, other than oppressing its citizens?
In my interview with the Saudi Akhbaria this week, the news station asked me if I consider it a success that the government was able to raid Al-Qaeda training camps. I answered saying I believed that it this shows failure for the government as it allowed Al-Qaeda to have a training camp there in the first place. No success comes when innocent people die.
 

ABOUT Yemen Post Publisher & Chief Editor:

Hakim Almasmari is an American journalist and Middle East expert based in Sana'a, Yemen. His work has appeared for many of the worlds top media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Washington Post, AlJazeera, Fox News, The Guardian, The National, USA Today among numerous others. He has also worked with some of the world’s top organizations. Reporting out of Yemen for nearly eight years, he is the current editor in chief for the Yemen Post. He is a university lecturer in the field of international media and also studied business and law. Considered one of the top experts on Yemen, Almasmari has closely worked with international strategic centers and think tanks helping them better understand Yemen. He is a frequent guest on many international TV outlets discussing current local and international affairs. Almasmari's ancestors are from Yemen, and was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA. His mother tongue is English and is fluent in Arabic.