Wilayat al-Yemen: The Islamic State’s New Front

Brian Perkins: Wilayat al-Yemen: The Islamic State’s New Front 

As the Yemen conflict rages on, the only side that appears to be winning are jihadists. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) had been beaten back by the northern Houthi rebels as they marched south, but due to the Saudi-led coalition's focus on attacking only Houthi forces, the group has recovered. AQAP is not the only group active in Yemen though; the Islamic State's Yemen branch (Wilayat al-Yemen or Yemen Province) has quickly emerged as a competitor. Wilayat Yemen has several sub-groups spread across the country, and has targeted Houthis and their supporters in the western portion of the country with the same brutal tactics as the larger Islamic State organization; for example, Wilayat al-Yemen members suicide bombed Shi'a mosques in the capital Sana'a. The group has not yet reached the same operational capacity as AQAP, but its growth is a serious concern for the stability of Yemen.http://www.jamestown.org/programs/tm/single/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=44263&tx_ttnews[backPid]=26&cHash=da3de51a7f206710ec7d6e9ad3154c5a#.VdC8Rs6KI-8