The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for Foreign Policy Association (FPA) and, due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous.
According to almasdaonline.com, which is a Yemeni based Arabic news website, the President is believed to be planning a massive military operation within the walls of the capital. The embattled President is fiercely determined to remain in power as the alternative is too scary to contemplate. Some officials close to his inner circle have said under the veil of anonymity that Saleh’s fear of reprisals is clouding his judgment.
As he exhausted all diplomatic avenues with the GCC and probably because the Americans have been so lenient so far, the military man in him is now contemplating the unimaginable.
Saleh and his family members are allegedly planning to strike a blow of such intensity on their opponents that no one in the land would ever dare challenge them again. Very much like Roman Emperor Nero, Ali Abdullah Saleh is willing to burn his nation to the pillory in order to reassert his will over Yemen.
A man from National Security said: ” Saleh and his relatives, especially those who command key military systems, have chaos and criminal plans on which they pin hope to cling to power and that these plans just need to be implemented”.
To start with, the military will aim at destroying the first armored division which is under the controlled of defected General, Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar. Then the army will move on to the Square of Change and the Opposition leaders’ houses.
“Missiles will be fired at these targets, and in the second phase the pro-Saleh forces will raid the targets” the source said.
According to him, the President himself aided by Ahmed his elder son will be directly in charge of the operation. Saleh has reached a point where he does not trust anyone anymore and all decisions have to be made either by him or his close relatives.
Ammar Abdullah Saleh, his nephew and head of the much feared National Security will use his men to disperse any civilian opposition. Although Saleh has been warned by his closest advisers of the danger of implementing such a plan, he is said determined to see it through.
I suppose that after having witness the fall of Mubarak and the events that followed his resignation, he has chosen to follow the path of General Gaddafi. Some officials are also saying that he is betting on the international community inability to act. He has been able to get away with “murder” for so many decades that he must believe in his own invulnerability.
What would become of Yemen is now hard to tell.
