Al-Masdar Online visits the Emirate of Ansar Al-Sharia in Abyan

The attacks on the units of the army in the province of Abyan returned the talk about Ansar Al-Sharia Jamaat to the interface. Weeks before colleague Ali AlAwaridi visited the cities of Zinjibar and Jaar as part of the convoy of freedom team in the province of Abyan the stronghold of Ansar Al-Sharia which seeks to declare its proclaimed Islamic Emirate. And he here highlights on the activity of the group and its supporters think. **** During our visit to the affected province of Abyan as part of the convoy of freedom team we toured the cities of Zinjibar and Jaar accompanied by some militants who call themselves Ansar Al-Sharia and claim that they belong to AlQaeda. We found in them one who is really a member and carries the ideology of AlQaeda, and other in a mission serving a certain agenda, and a third who is avenging from the ruling regime who made his endure all types injustice, and a fourth type who the harsh life conditions to the arms of those who know very well the art of exploitation in the name of religion and Sharia and have a high ability to convince and do brain wash. We met in Zinjibar and Jaar and on the road leading to it, Chechens, Afghans, Serbs and Africans also we met persons from various regions in Yemen saying that they all came for one goal which is establishing an Islamic Khilafah that rules with the Sharia and spreads justice and prosperity.

Among them were people of criminal records also some of the members of the freedom convoy confirmed to us that they know personally people living with them in the same neighborhood inside the capital Sanaa (most of them from Masik, Saawan, Daar Salam and Al-Sawad) and they have moral and criminal cases and accusations of dealing with drugs and alcohol which qualifies them to be people of criminal records according to what we were told by their neighbors who were with us in the convoy. Also came to our attention the way some of them shaved his beard and moustache which indicate that they are new to religiosity and also to Al-Qaeda, this was clear from their talk which showed their cultural and religious bankruptcy and excessive affectation, to the degree that they were speaking about Islam like we dont know anything about it and they present themselves to others as there are the agents of Allah on His land but despite of that they appeared generous and dealt with us in a good way. Abu Dua and the battle of revenge Most of the first class leadership and also commanders of the fighting fronts are graduates of prisons, who spent two to four years inside the detentions of the Political Security and National Security services according to what we were told be one of the field commanders of Ansar Al-Sharia in Jaar and Zinjibar who is known as Abu Dua AlSan'ani. Jamal Al-Haymi who is called Abu Dua Al-San'ani is from the Masik neighborhood, he is married from the Bamahfid region in Abyan and a father of three children who currently live with him in the Jaar region which has been lately called Waqar. He was arrested by the Political Security in Sanaa in 2006 and stayed four years in a solitary cell where he was exposed to all types of tortures and was forced many times to eat from the plate that he defecated in, as well as insulting the honor, all that just because he thought of going for jihad in Iraq against the occupying American forces that are present there according to him.

Al-Haymi joined Ansar Al-Sharia to avenge from the state which he said that is gaining now the fruit of what it committed against him and others of injustice and oppression and follies, referring that most of the Jihadi formations that are present now on the ground including Al-Qaeda and Ansar Al-Sharia are the natural result of injustice and oppression that were committed by the security and intelligence services that belong to the Saleh family regime. Al-Haymi noted that there are many who honors were violated and their sleeping rooms were stormed and their family and sons were arrested, which is what made them according to him believe that jihad in Yemen with these groups precedes the jihad in Iraq or any other place. He added: I used to think that jihad should only be against the Jews and Christians but there were among our compatriots Yemenis who insult you and insult Allah and shock you with electricity for the most trivial reasons. And according to Al-Haymi he lives now his best days in Abyan with his brothers the mujahidin from different parts of the world, including Europe and Africa and all the Murabitin in the various fighting fronts, and he is totally convinced with the current situation especially that they are living according to him under an Islamic state that implements the Sharia of Allah and rules with He revealed. And he continues: W e are fed up from the government of Kufr, apostasy and treachery, we want an Islamic government, we are fed up from these Tawagit, and we want to be ruled by the Sharia of Allah Almighty. The first appearance of Amir of Waqar After a series of upward communication with field leaders belonging to Ansar Al-Sharia in the province of Abyan we met Abu Hamza AlZinjibari, in the middle of the current Wilayah of Waqar and the former city of Jaar, he was wearing the outfit of war standing next to several of his personal escorts fully armed with weapons and some children used as a propaganda to promote something called the coexistence between the locals and Ansar Al-Sharia and the continuity of normal life.

His real name is Jalal Mohsen Saleh Baleeedi from the tribe of Maraqisha AlBaleeed which is located 70 Kilometers east from the city of Zinjibar and he is also known as Abu Hamza Al-Zinjibari, he is 30 years old. He is married and has kids, and he appears from the last picture that we took for him he has a thin body, white skin, and black hair. He pays little attention to his external appearance, and is very busy with his beard which every now and then he touches it like he wasnt used to growing before. He also has a sense of humor and a big smile that doesnt leave him and he has the ability to gain the sympathy of others, in addition to that he has careful observation and quick-witted but on the other hand, he has superficial thinking and very much sticks to his opinion despite what he shows of respecting the other opinion, also he doesnt hesitate to accuse of treason who is against him, as what happened with one of the colleague journalists who said that his questions have a political background and serve other parties. Baleeedi is considered the de facto ruler of the Emirate of Zinjibar which he had been appointed Amir of it late March 2011, after the withdrawal of the security forces from it and it falling in the hands of the Ansar Al-Sharia and he has a direct connection with the supreme leader of Al-Qaeda organization in the Arabian Peninsula Nassir Al- Wuhayshi. Baleeedi deserved this post firstly because he is from the sons of Zinjibar then what he has from Jihadi history and what is known of his courage, venture and cleverness in the last battle that they were engaged against the army, and he was among the first who conducted and planned for it, and this post - according to him is an assignment not a honor. Abu Hamza started with a broad smile then he began his talk by welcoming us as the first journalist and human rights team to reach the province of Abyan, considering that a positive step that they waited for it from long to highlight what he considered crimes against humanity that were committed by Ali Abdullah Saleh and his gang against the sons of the province. Abu Hamza says: The whole world gathered against the sons of the province of Abyan next to the treacherous state that shelled the citizens and destroyed the infrastructure of the province and all that because the sons of the province decided to implement the Sharia and rebelled against injustice and corruption which prevailed in the province.

And he considered this gathering of the world and the ruling regime in Yemen is against them which forced them to carry arms as a legitimate right to defend themselves and they wont leave their arms according to him - until the Sharia is implemented and everyone stops fighting them and aggression against them in any form. The situation in Abyan The security situation in Abyan witnesses a stable condition which isnt present in the rest provinces of the republics as it is presented by Abu Hamza, as well as the situation of sustenance and services, pointing that the continuing services in the fields of electricity, water and municipality and others, confirming their eagerness that Wilayah of Abyan be an emulated model in implementing the Sharia and repelling injustice and preserving the human values like justice and equality and this will be generalized according to him throughout the republic. Regarding the nature of the relationship between Ansar Al-Sharia and the citizens of Jaar and Zinjibar Baleeedi said: Our relationship with the people is good and is based on cooperation and interaction and we find a big response and an unprecedented acceptance from the inhabitants for the current situation, and you can take tour to be sure from that by yourself and see the cohesion between us and the citizens. The issue of changing the name of Jaar to Waqar comes from following the guidance of the prophet peace and blessings of Allah be upon him according to him who always used to change the names to the best, and from our knowledge and information of the names we know that Jaar means hyena so it was changed to Waqar. How Waqar and Zinjibar are administrated? Ansar Al-Sharia administer the affairs of Zinjibar and Waqar (Jaar) through a group of committees including the social committee which specializes in the services, and the Dawah committee which is linked to the institutions of Hesbah

and education, and the judiciary committee which is linked with the police institution which include currently one police station in the city of Jaar. The Waqar police station takes charge of the task of reconciliation between people and resolution of conflicts and rivalries and after receiving the cases and documenting it in the special records, as well as the task of maintaining security in the city and as for as the cases that need judicial rules like implementing the Qisas sentences and implantation of the Hudud of the Sharia they are transferred to the representative of the Sharia judiciary who raises it to the judicial committee that consist of 6 judges to decide about it. And they according to the Amir of Jaar rehabilitated many of the institutions of the of the ragged state and especially the services like education and health so that the people benefit from it. They pumped water until the arrival of the army whom they agreed with it to supply them with electricity in return giving it water. When Ansar Al-Sharia which accuses all who allies with the West of treachery Baleeedi confirmed that they established a health center inside the city of Jaar in cooperation with the Red Crescent based on security conditions that they adhered to, so that it replaces Al-Razi hospital which was completely destructed due to the bombardment it was exposed to by the army forces. Execution, crucifixion and hand cutting But what Abu Hamza doesnt speak about the issue of the sentences executed by Ansar Al-Sharia since their control of the two cities of Jaar and Zinjibar, especially the information that we got that pointed out that the group executed 8 persons including Saudis, all of them accused of spying except one from Abyan it is said that his objection for the presence of Ansar Al-Sharia that pushed him to attack some of them at a check point. Also those who are now known as Ansar Al-Sharia have implemented three sentences of cutting hands, one of them against a child called Khalid Abdul-Aziz 15 years for being accused of stealing copper cables and selling it to one of the scrap dealers and he died after two days from implementing the sentence due to complications that happened to him because of his hand amputation. And several people saw the execution of one of the persons which his sentence also included crucifying him for three days in the entrance of Jaar, so that he be seen by those who enter and leave the city. Ansar Al-Sharia have asked us to wait

to the next morning to witness the execution and crucifixion of three of the people of Waqar Jaar including a woman whom they said that they were accused of spying for the army and external parties whom they didnt reveal. And what is worse than is that the right of the accused in nominating an attorney to defend him and appealing the sentence which is issued against him are all manmade regulations in the courts which has nothing to do with the Islamic Sharia according to the Amir of Waqar Jaar Jalal Baleeedi, who said during the news conference which was held on the same day: The procedural aspect in the Islamic judiciary is simple, uncomplicated and consistent with the leniency of the Islamic Sharia. The khat and smoking Consumption of khat and smoking are from the banned matters in the Sharia of Ansar Al-Sharia in the province of Abyan and a high treason to the Amir of the Emirate of Waqar Jaar who ordered to transfer the only khat market from inside the city to outside as a prelude to canceling it, and issued a decree of banning the selling of all kinds of tobacco and punishing who violates that. Here I remember the story of one of the members of the freedom convoy Salah AlMaqbuli, when they reached the city of Jaar, his passion lead him a grocery to get one cigarette, there he was surprised by its owner gesturing to him to be quiet, then he gets his head out from the door and looked to the left and right. AlMaqbuli continues: He stretch his hand to a secret closet and there was fear in all his movements and took out a packet of cigarettes and asked for 30 Riyals for the cigarette, he also made me swear not to reveal his secret to anyone so that Ansar Al-Sharia wont know and punish him severely. The policy of iron fist between appreciation and resentment The policy of the iron fist which Ansar Al-Sharia are currently ruling some of the regions of Abyan as it spreads horror and fear between who remained from the population in return they managed to impose some security and safety which was missed by the citizens there for more than two decades after the establishment of the Unified state and ended many of the gangs of theft and banditry. That security was accompanied by Ansar Al-Sharia distributing some of the food aid as what happened last Ramadan and conducting some service projects like clearing and paving roads and retrieving some of the stolen items and returning it

their owners, and other actions which Ansar Al-Sharia seeks through it to present itself as an alternative to the former regime and to cope with the demands and challenges of stage. A.H.Q one of the people of Jaar and a government employee, we met him in the only restaurant inside the city confirmed to us that everything goes better than before and that all the services like electricity, water, gas and other necessary needs are provided which arent found in the rest of the provinces of the republic, and when we asked him: Why do you eat in a restaurant if the situation was as you told us?! He laughed an shocked his head and said: I have an ulcer in my stomach and eating in my home is not suitable for my health condition. This popular satisfaction of some of the people of Jaar as result for these actions and policies is met by a big dissatisfaction of the majority of the people of these regions, which we read in the features of fear that was on the faces of most who we met inside Waqar and Zinjibar and also the tones of their voices and we heard it publicly from the mouths of the displaced outside Zinjibar who are the majority. The first thing against Ansar Al-Sharia according to those who oppose them from the sons of Abyan is their certain belief that they are just a paper in the hands of Saleh and the remnants of his deceased family regime that he will use it as long as he wishes, which is what was totally denied by the Amir of the Wilayah of Waqar describing it as impossible despite acknowledging the presence of spies inside the organization. The sons of Abyan who oppose Ansar Al-Sharia consider the fall of Jaar and Zinjibar in the hands of the militants is a planned operation between Ali Saleh and elements the belong to him inside Al-Qaeda organization to handover the province to them, in an attempt to intimidate the outside and in particular America and the Gulf Cooperation Council from the danger of Al-Qaeda in case there was a transfer of power in Yemen like many of the sons of Yemen who came out to the streets demanding the overthrow of his regime. Ansar Al-Sharia... stances and visions The stance of Ansar Al-Sharia from the revolution: Jalal Baleeedi says: we agree with the youth of the revolution in the goal which is overthrowing the regime but we differ with them in the means since its a forceful ruling regime and nothing is good with it except the language of power and weapons, and if the youth of the

revolution have rebelled against the regime peacefully from ten months we rebelled against it with weapons from decades. He added: Saying that the peaceful means are more useful is a opinion that we respect and we consider it the easiest way but everyone sit-in peacefully then in the end he comes and share with you the fruit and may be the carpet would be pulled from under you as what happened before by the opposition parties in the arenas and squares of freedom and change. Their stance from the Aden Abyan army Ansar Al-Sharia looks to what is known as the Islamic Aden Abyan army which is lead by Khalid Abdulnabi, as a group of thugs who belong to Ali Saleh and work according to his orders and he have used them repeatedly to strike Al-Qaeda in Abyan and also some of his political opponents. And according to some of the field commanders of Ansar Al-Sharia the first battle that occurred in Abyan before the fall of Jaar and Zinjibar in their hands was with the supporters of Khalid Abdulnabi the de facto ruler of the province of Abyan in the period before the last war and withdraw in the beginning of the battle, when around 100 militant from his followers declared joining Ansar Al-Sharia group, and they were killed after that during the clashes with the army. Their stance from the elections The stance of Ansar Al-Sharia from the election of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Al-Hadi as president of the republic which is the same stance of the extreme Salafism in Yemen and also Al-Qaeda organization who prohibit elections and look to it as an American card in Yemen and the whole Middle East, and this was confirmed by Jalal Baleeedi by saying: we according to the Sharia dont accept elections and our methodology is known regarding this issue that resemble a big problem for us from the Sharia aspect. The results declared by the Supreme Commission for Elections indicate that the percentage of boycotting in the regions that are controlled by Ansar Al-Sharia in the province of Abyan reached 100% since the committee wasnt able to enter the

ballot boxes to these regions especially Zinjibar and Jaar that witnessed a significant reinforcement for the forces of Ansar Al-Sharia before the early presidential elections. Their stance from Al-Houthi Ansar Al-Sharia agree with Al-Houthi group in the alleged war against America and Israel and which is resembled in the thought of Al-Qaeda which is hostile to the West in general and America in particular and the shout of Al-Houthi that wish death of America and Israel, and cursing the Jews. But what we heard from the Amir of Waqar (Jaar) denying any points of convergence between the two, and confirms their fighting for the Al-Houthi group from a long time according to a principle based on the Sharia for being Rafida cursing the Sahabah in addition to the crimes they committed against Ahli Sunnah in Sadaa and other provinces according to him which became known to everyone. Add to that the accusation of Jalal Baleeedi of Al-Houthi group that they are currently fighting them next to the 25th Mechanized Brigade. Their stance from what happened in Radda Jalal Baleeedi says: What happened in Radda was by the will of the sons of the city itself who were fed up from socialism, democracy and secularism and that is what happened before in Zinjibar and Waqar which its sons against the secular regime and all of us serve in the same direction. Source: Al-Masdar Online Ali Al-Awaridi