December 23rd, 2009 by Zack

Saudi officials have reported that 73 Saudi soldiers have been killed, 470 wounded, and 26 are still missing since fighting against Houthi insurgents in Yemen began in November.  Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan claims that the majority of fighting is now over, and he gave remaining Houthi rebels 24 hours to surrender before the Saudis destroy the border village of Al-Jabiriyah, which remains under Houthi control.

However, Reuters reports that diplomats and analysts believe Saudi Arabia “faces a long mountain war” with the Houthis. At the same time, Saudi Arabia is primarily concerned with al-Qaeda attacks originating from Yemen. While the Houthis have no known connections with al-Qaeda, the fighting with the Houthis may make it easier for terrorists to enter Saudi territory. For example, the fighting has made it more difficult to build a planned fence along the border to prevent terrorist infiltration.

Posted in Mideast Peace Plan, Military, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, al-Qaeda |