ISIL Gaining Ground in Yemen, Competing with Qaeda – Report
The Takfiri group operating in Iraq and Syria, ISIL, is active in Yemen and recruiting members in the peninsula, a report said, noting that there is a “competition” between ISIL and al-Qaeda.
CNN quoted a Yemeni official as saying on Wednesday that ISIL “has a presence in at least three provinces in southern and central Yemen, and there is now a “real competition” between ISIS and the Yemen-based terror group al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP.”
The official told the American network that a gun battle took place between the two groups in Yemen’s eastern provinces last month. However, he did not have specifics on the casualties that resulted from that incident.
Meanwhile, CNN said that American official think that ISIL “is trying to recruit in Yemen.” But it quoted a US counter-terror official as saying that “AQAP remains the dominant force in Yemen.”
The American intelligence view is that while there may be a smattering of ISIL loyalists among extremists in Yemen, they are likely “mid-level AQAP militants who are sympathetic to ISIL’s vision but haven’t broken ranks,” the report said.
The Yemeni official also confirmed the American official view, saying that “AQAP is still the dominant terrorist presence in Yemen, with “hundreds” of members, compared to “dozens” for ISIL.”
Still, he added, “there’s a new kid on the block.”
The official noted that ISIL may be using its financial strength to win over some of AQAP’s potential recruits.
He told CNN that ISIL supporters are telling potential recruits they can fund operations better than AQAP can at the moment.
Some experts consider that ISIL may be seeking a foothold in Yemen because of its historical importance, the report added.
“Yemen is significant in Islam,” said Katherine Zimmerman, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
“It is a place where we’ve seen attacks against the United States. It also has been a major feeder for foreign fighters into Afghanistan, into Iraq, and now into Syria,” Zimmerman added, “There’s a recruiting pipeline that ISIS may try and tap into.”
Al- Manar News
R.S