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Operation 'Decisive Storm' | Saudi lead coalition operations in Yemen - Updates & Discussions.

u r hatered for KSA will more hatered from other side and many Pak sunnis who were neutral so far may tilt towards KSA, u should look far below mentined points.
1. Iran is not a poor country
2. Iran backed and flamed sectarian war in Pak casting lives of hundreds of Muslims(shia and sunni both) just like KSA.
3. Is it wise to give control of most important international sea way to rebels and put oil trade in jeopardy
4. If now Muslims are dying in Syria and Yemen than Iran and KSA equally liablle, without training how Houti's are handling tanks and other sophisticated weapons and who is paying for them. This clearly shows that some wealthy power is behind them. They are using tanks like Honda motorbikes used in any big city of Pak.
5. Haven't Iran backed militias were involved in messacre of Sunnis, Druz and Chritians in Lebanon. Even till now Shia and Sunnis attacking each other in Lebanon.
6. Is Bashar ul Asad a saint? he is no different from Iraq. What Saddam did to innocent Iranis same is done by Bashar to his own people. His father destroyed whole city to suppress his opponents.
7. Bashar's grand father was murdered by a Palestinian due to his friendship with westerns and jews.
Please provide me factual answers if u have.
 
Sad to hear that. Is there any neutral source on the casulties in Yemen?

Can you define a neutral source? What is a neutral source? Is it UN? I don't consider UN a neutral source because its security council is officially backing Saudi invasion. My source is representatives, health and army officials present on the ground in Yemen.

Yemen observer | 2571 Civilians Killed, 3897 Wounded By Coalition Airstrikes

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Ghosts of Dead Invaders in Yemen Loom Over Saudi Buildup - Bloomberg Business

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From lookouts on the Yemen border, Saudi soldiers can see villages controlled by their Shiite rebel enemies, scattered across a terrain -- deep ravines and dry riverbeds -- that’s ideal for ambush.

“This is the front line,” Hamed Alahmari, a lieutenant colonel in the Border Guard, said at the al-Mushareq frontier post, where snipers and soldiers with U.S.-made 50-caliber machine guns stand watch behind green sandbags.

Saudi Arabia hasn’t ruled out crossing that line -- sending troops into Yemen to defeat the Houthi fighters it says are tools of Iran. The kingdom is already leading a bombing campaign to halt the rebel advance. Yet airstrikes alone may not achieve Saudi goals, and escalating to a ground operation is fraught with risks in a country where foreign armies have foundered. Analysts warn it could bog the Saudis down in an unwinnable war.


“It’s going to be a tough situation for anybody to move into,” Buford “Buff” Blount, a retired major general in the U.S. Army, said in a phone interview. “The terrain, the political makeup, it’s almost a civil war situation, which is never clean and you don’t have a clear front line. It’s going to be messy.”

Battle Hardened

While Saudi Arabia’s armed forces have “good equipment and are fairly well trained,” their only actual experience was in the 1991 Gulf War, said Blount, who commanded the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division in the 2003 Iraq war and managed the Saudi National Guard Modernization Program from 1997 to 2001.

By comparison, the Houthis have been fighting Yemen’s army for more than a decade. They broke out from their northern base in the past year, driving President Abdurabuh Mansur Hadi from the capital Sana’a and then from his last stronghold in the southern port of Aden. Three weeks of Saudi airstrikes, aimed at restoring Hadi to power, haven’t rolled back the Houthi gains.

The rebels have crossed swords with the Saudis in the past, killing more than 100 soldiers during three months of border clashes that started in late 2009.

That frontier, separating the world’s top oil supplier and the Middle East’s poorest country, stretches through 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) of mountains and arid valleys. On the Saudi side, dirt roads have been carved into hillsides to ease troop deployment.

‘Rings Hollow’

Since the bombing of Yemen began last month, the Houthis have killed six soldiers in attacks on Saudi border positions.

There have been anti-Saudi protests in Houthi-held areas, though other tribes in Yemen have welcomed the Saudi intervention. Khaled Bahah, Yemen’s Saudi-backed vice president, said on Thursday that the combination of coalition airstrikes and Yemeni forces were sufficient for now.

At the al-Mushareq border post, where armored carriers are parked behind the barracks, there’s an air conditioned prayer room and majlis or reception room where soldiers drink tea and coffee. “We are prepared for anything,” General Nasser al-Mutairi said while inspecting troops.

Nine mostly Sunni Muslim nations have joined the Saudi-led coalition, but it’s not clear how many of them would participate in a ground intervention. While Pakistan initially signaled readiness to do so, a parliament resolution passed on April 10 fell short of such commitments, instead declaring support for Saudi Arabia’s “territorial integrity.”

“Pakistan has decided against committing ground troops to Yemen in support of the Saudi campaign, and the offer to do so by Egypt rings hollow,” Soufan Group, which monitors political risk, said in a report Tuesday. “Without an available ground force to consolidate gains and stabilize the country, it is hard to see what the Saudi coalition airstrikes can achieve.”

Egypt’s army is already battling an insurgency in the Sinai peninsula, and has institutional memories of fighting, and losing, in Yemen.

‘Nasser’s Gamble’

President Gamal Abdel Nasser backed a revolution by Yemeni republicans against royalists who had support from Saudi Arabia and the U.K. He began by sending an expeditionary force of a few hundred commandos in October 1962. By the summer of 1965, Egypt had 70,000 troops in Yemen, according to “Nasser’s Gamble,” a 2012 history of the conflict by Jesse Ferris.

“For Egypt, this struggle would prove more costly in lives, treasure, and squandered influence than any of its wars with Israel,” Ferris wrote.

Egypt lost as many as 26,000 soldiers by the time it withdrew in 1967, according to Kenneth Pollack’s 2002 study “Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness 1948-1991.”

Hatem Ali Abu Hatem, a Yemeni born in 1946, recalls joining up as a 16-year-old on the second day after the revolution. He received a week of training from the Egyptians, and then fought alongside them in “fierce battles” in the northern province of Sa’ada, now the Houthi stronghold.

‘Civilized Presence’

The Egyptians were “a civilized presence,” helping build schools and bringing administrators and religious scholars, yet they still failed to win over much of the country, especially the north, Abu Hatem said.

Centuries before that, Yemen already had a reputation as a quagmire for outside forces. Local tribes defeated or rebelled against a series of generals sent by the Ottoman Turks, then the region’s dominant power, to impose order.

“The complicated lines of conflict in Yemen make it hard for anyone to repulse one perceived threat without tending to help a different threat,” said Paul Pillar, a professor at Georgetown University in Washington and a former U.S. intelligence officer for the Middle East.

The latest war has displaced more than 120,000 people since airstrikes began, according to the United Nations. Output at the country’s sole liquefied natural gas plant has stopped. Millions in the country face “severe” food shortages, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

That’s unlikely to deter Yemenis, who have “made incredible sacrifices and suffered huge number of casualties” to resist invaders in the past, said Gabriele vom Bruck, a senior lecturer in anthropology and Yemen specialist at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. “They really hate the idea of a foreign intervention.”
 
Can you define a neutral source? What is a neutral source? Is it UN? I don't consider UN a neutral source because its security council is officially backing Saudi invasion. My source is representatives, health and army officials present on the ground in Yemen.
Yes but many departments within UN are pretty much independant and neutral. Like the ones saying war crimes were commited in Gaza. I sincerely doubt that Yemen observor can be called a neutral source. They will obviously refine the numbers in their favor. That said, i don't consider KSA papers neutral either, before it turns into a KSA vs Iran match.
 
Retired General says how it. Also implies "Gulfie brothers" don't care about Pakistan.

After all, the rationale that launching a military invasion was necessary to restore Abu Mansour Hadi, is only half the truth. Finding little support from the masses and under military pressure from Houthis, Hadi fled the country.

Pakistan’s policy of initially taking up a neutral position in the Yemen conflict has offended the Arabs who, for years, have been used to its unbridled obeisance. Veiled threat from Anwar Gargash, a junior UAE minister, through his tweet, was a manifestation of their frustration with Pakistan and Turkey. Tweet that “now the Arab countries should take care of their own defence”, says it all. It betrays the fundamental weakness of Arab rulers, depending on foreign countries — both Western and Muslim — in not only using their armed forces for protecting their regimes but also for pursuing their foreign policy and strategic aims. What is it that the joint defence force of Arab countries is unable to perform is now expected from Pakistan in the Yemen internecine war? Moreover, would it not be fair to ask if Pakistan was taken into confidence before launching the military operation in Yemen? And if the answer is in the negative, then what justification is there to expect that we were going to be a party to it.

These aspirations can be suppressed for a while but will eventually prevail. After all, the Arab world, economically well-integrated with the rest of the world, cannot insulate itself from international political norms and ignore the voices of their own people. It is sad to witness, even from my own country’s murky standards, as to why the Arab world is holding out to the past and not moving with rest of the world or sensing the aspirations of its people. Oil wealth is a transitory phenomenon which, in any case, is likely to decrease as oil is discovered in other parts of the world and alternative sources of energy develop.


Arab countries’ current response to Pakistan’s decision of non-involvement reflects how oblivious they are to our multiple security challenges. Or are they deliberately playing down to put pressure on Pakistan?

Pakistan should stay away from military intervention in Yemen - The Express Tribune

 
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21648686-there-way-out-conflict-arabia-infelix


Arabia Infelix

Is there a way out of the conflict?


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THE war in Yemen is the archetypal quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom the world knows nothing. Sometimes, though, its internal power struggles become enmeshed in wider geopolitical contests—rarely to its benefit. In the 1960s the rivalry between monarchists and Arab nationalists split the Arab world. Egypt intervened on the side of the nationalist republicans against the loyalists of the Zaydi imamate, backed by Saudi Arabia. These days the great division is the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which feeds sectarianism between Sunnis and Shias respectively. Now Saudi Arabia and Egypt are allies, intervening to support Sunnis against the Houthis, a northern Zaydi militia, that is backed by Iran.

Three weeks into the air campaign, and with civilian casualties growing, there is little sign that the Saudi-led coalition has much of a political or military strategy. The Latin name for the land, Arabia Felix (Happy Arabia) seems a mockery: the poorest country in the Arab world is being bombed by one of the richest.

For America, which backs the Saudi operation with logistical help and intelligence, Yemen presents two dangers: it is a breeding ground for transnational jihadists (al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is the most dangerous of the group’s branches) and it offers Iran an opportunity to extend its influence and nurture a Shia ally that, some fear, might become akin to Hizbullah in Lebanon. Both risks are being exacerbated by the chaos.

The Houthis fought repeated conflicts with the Yemeni government led by the former strongman, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Amid a popular uprising, the president stepped down in 2011 and power passed to a transitional government led by Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi. But the Houthis, now allied with Mr Saleh, took the capital, Sana’a, last September and then marched on Aden, to which Mr Hadi had fled.


Understanding the Middle East's geopolitical mess


Sectarianism has not been strong in Yemen, and there is much uncertainty about how much support Iran provides the Houthis. Rhetorically, though, Iran’s backing has become strident. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said Saudi attacks in Yemen amounted to genocide. In one tweet, he mocked the recently enthroned King Salman, and especially his son and defence minister, Prince Muhammad, who is in his thirties: “inexperienced #youngsters have come to power & replaced composure w barbarism”. Amid the chaos, al-Qaeda has taken over Mukalla, a Yemeni port—although it suffered a setback when an American drone strike killed one of its leaders on April 15th.

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Saudi action might have prevented the Houthis from taking all of Aden, but they are still making gains. Air strikes alone will not defeat them, but the ground option is receding after Pakistan rebuffed a Saudi request to send troops (see Banyan). Egypt seems in no rush to send soldiers to Yemen, which some call its “Vietnam”.

Has the time come for a political deal? There are increasing calls for a ceasefire and negotiations. On April 14th the UN Security Council passed a resolution placing an arms embargo on the Houthis and Mr Saleh’s family. It also recognised the Saudi call for UN-mediated talks in Riyadh, a condition that no Houthi could agree to. In pushing for the restoration of Mr Hadi, the Saudis are relying on an unpopular ally, not least because he fled the country. Mr Hadi has appointed Khaled al-Bahah as his deputy. A former prime minister, Mr Bahah is seen as just about the only unifying figure in Yemen. Still, Saudi Arabia has set out no clear political objectives. That leaves it with the impossible task of trying to annihilate the Houthis—and allowing Iran to pose as the peacemaker.
 
Yes but many departments within UN are pretty much independant and neutral. Like the ones saying war crimes were commited in Gaza. I sincerely doubt that Yemen observor can be called a neutral source. They will obviously refine the numbers in their favor. That said, i don't consider KSA papers neutral either, before it turns into a KSA vs Iran match.

You choose what you want to believe. If it was up to Saudis, not even 1 civilian is killed by Gulfi air forces.

meanwhile:

Yemen observer | Saudi Air Offensive Kills 17 Civilians in Sa’adah
 
And you are denying Saudi role in Syria? is it all Iran? at least Syria has got a constitution and an elected president what about Saudi?

I am talking about Barrel bombing the civilians which is soley the courtesy of Iran..
 
You choose what you want to believe. If it was up to Saudis, not even 1 civilian is killed by Gulfi air forces.
I am glad i was able to predict the obvious response. Once again, i'll be glad if you have some numbers from Amnesty International, Red Cross, UN etc.
 
I am glad i was able to predict the obvious response. Once again, i'll be glad if you have some numbers from Amnesty International, Red Cross, UN etc.

I don't consider any of them as credible sources, someone sitting thousands of miles away behind a computer and also, biased sources like Amnesty international are not credible to me, thanks to their previous double standards on various matters. As I said, you can believe what you want and you can use google to find their reports.
 
AQAP joining with anti-houthi and anti-army groups in the war. Another example that they has same medieval belief as the saudi royals and their clerics. Only difference is their "politics".
 
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GULF OF OMAN (April 13, 2015) The aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) transits the Gulf of Oman during a vertical replenishment. Carl Vinson is deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, strike operations in Iraq and Syria as directed, maritime security operations, and theater security cooperation efforts in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jacob G. Kaucher/Released)
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GULF OF OMAN (April 13, 2015) A Sailor assigned to the Red Lions of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 15 assists in a vertical replenishment conducted between the aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Carl Vinson is deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, strike operations in Iraq and Syria as directed, maritime security operations, and theater security cooperation efforts in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jacob G. Kaucher/Released)
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GULF OF OMAN (April 13, 2015) The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) relieves the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) in the Gulf of Oman. Carl Vinson will soon depart the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility for its homeport of San Diego after supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, maritime security operations, strike operations in Iraq and Syria as directed, and theater security cooperation efforts in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John Philip Wagner, Jr./Released)
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GULF OF OMAN (April 13, 2015) The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) relieves the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) in the Gulf of Oman. Carl Vinson will soon depart the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility for its homeport of San Diego after supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, maritime security operations, strike operations in Iraq and Syria as directed, and theater security cooperation efforts in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John Philip Wagner, Jr./Released)
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SALALAH, Oman (April 10, 2015) Lt.j.g. Brendan Shields, from Dayton, Ohio, monitors surface contacts during a sea and anchor detail aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43). Fort McHenry, part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adam Austin/Released)
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SALALAH, Oman (April 10, 2015) Lt.j.g. Brendan Shields, from Dayton, Ohio, monitors surface contacts during a sea and anchor detail aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43). Fort McHenry, part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adam Austin/Released)
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I don't consider any of them as credible sources, someone sitting thousands of miles away behind a computer and also, biased sources like Amnesty international are not credible to me, thanks to their previous double standards on various matters. As I said, you can believe what you want and you can use google to find their reports.
Again that's misinformation. They have credible sources and workers on the ground in most conflict areas. UN Security Council is indeed biased, But many of UN branches have been outspoken against casualties. They spoke against Syria, Israel, Iraq invasion by US. If Israel was unable to influence them, how will KSA?

Here is a report, "super biased" if you are to believe people like you.
GENEVA: Worry grows at UN over civilian casualties in Yemen | Middle East | McClatchy DC

Prince Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, the U.N.’s high commissioner for human rights, warned that some of the actions may amount to war crimes – a caution other officials have made in recent days. But Prince Zeid’s comments may carry special weight because he is a member of Jordan’s royal family. Jordan is a member of the Saudi-led coalition carrying out the bombing campaign with U.S. support.
Oh my god. Super biased, how dare they?

Here are the actual casualties:
At least 364 civilians are reported to have died since March 26, including at least 84 children and 25 women, Prince Zeid said. Another 681 civilians – possibly more – have been injured.
 

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