Yemen’s Iran-backed jihadis seize U.S. Marines’ weapons

Another catastrophic failure of Obama’s that the media neither hears, sees or speaks of. The Iran backed jihadis are fighting with American weapons – just like the Islamic State. Back in September, Obama held up Yemen as the exemplar – the template of success– in the war on terror.

And what has happened in Yemen is a metaphor for the Obama presidency.

Washington Post: Flash back to the heady days of September 2014 (four months ago), and the war on terror in Yemen was being touted as a “success” in speeches by President Obama. Talking about the threat posed by the Islamic State, Obama pointed toward Yemen and Somalia as possible examples: This counterterrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out [the Islamic State] wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground. This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years.

Now, like the Islamic State, like Sunni Irak, like Lybia, the Houthis are winning battles with American weaponry.

“Yemen’s Houthi rebels seize U.S. Marines’ weapons at airport,”By Cheryl K. Chumley - The Washington Times - Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized weapons from U.S. Marines as well as several vehicles used by Americans stationed at the now-closed U.S. Embassy in Sana’a.

It wasn’t immediately clear what types of weapons and vehicles were seized.

An unidentified Sana’a airport official confirmed that the rebel forces took control of the U.S. Embassy vehicles, which were parked at the airport, United Press International reported. The same official also said that the Houthi rebels seized several weapons used by U.S. Marines who were trying to abide by a White House order and leave the country.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a widely reported statement: “The Department of State has decided to suspend our embassy operations and our embassy staff have been temporarily relocated out of Sana’a. Recent unilateral actions disrupted the political transition process in Yemen, creating the risk that renewed violence would threaten Yemenis and the diplomatic community in Sana’a.”

British and French embassies have been temporarily closed, with Germany, perhaps, not far behind.

Houthi rebels are tied to Iran and regard Americans as enemies.

- See more at: http://pamelageller.com/2015/02/yemens-iran-backed-jihadis-seize-u-s-marines-weapons.html/#sthash.Ehglq2f7.dpuf

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The White House's top counterterrorism official admitted Thursday that the overthrow of Yemen's government by Shiite rebels last month caught U.S. intelligence off guard.

DAAAAGH!!!!!!!!

Nick Rasmussen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told the Senate Intelligence Committee that the Yemeni army's response to the advancing Houthi rebels resembled the Iraqi military's response to an onslaught by the Islamic State terror group (ISIS) that ended in the capture of Iraq's second-largest city this past summer. "As the Houthi advances toward Sanaa [Yemen's capital] took place," Rasmussen said, "they weren't opposed in many places. ... The situation deteriorated far more rapidly than we expected."

Rasmussen made the admission under questioning by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who noted that President Barack Obama recently touted Yemen as a successful counterterrorism partnership. Now, it's a "total disaster," Blunt said. The Houthis overran Sanaa last September and placed Yemen's U.S. and Saudi-backed President, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi under house arrest last month along with all the members of his Cabinet, leading to their mass resignations. That was quickly followed by the disbanding of the country's parliament.

Earlier this week, the U.S., the U.K., and France announced that they were closing their embassies in Sanaa and evacuating all personnel. British and French officials advised their citizens still in Yemen to leave the country immediately. The Washington Post reported Thursday that the U.S. embassy's closure has also forced the CIA to pull out dozens of personnel, including senior operatives who were working with Yemen's government against terrorists. The success of the Iran-backed Houthis has proven to be a benefit to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the terror group's affiliate in that country. The group claimed responsibility for last month's deadly attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and has recently stepped up attacks in central and southern Yemen.

On Friday, Yemeni security officials said a suicide car bomber struck police headquarters in the central city of Bayda, which had recently been captured by the Houthis. There was no immediate word of any casualties. The latest attack came one day after the United Nations envoy to Yemen warned that the country was at a crossroads between "civil war and disintegration," while U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that the country was "collapsing before our eyes." The ambassador, Jamal Benomar told the U.N. Security Council that the instability is creating conditions for al-Qaida, a Sunni extremist terror group, to establish a foothold in more parts of the country. His remarks came just hours after Yemeni military officials said al-Qaida militants seized control of an important army base in the south.

ANOTHER FAILURE (INTENDED OR NOT) OF MR. HUSSEIN OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THIS HERE, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...another gross waste of American lives, of our taxes...and just in case you forget...HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF...