Credibility of Arab coalition stands vindicated

The UAE’s Al Bayan said Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) claiming responsibility for the assassination of the Governor of Aden, Major General Jafar Sa’ad, reaffirms the unwavering truth that terrorism is the enemy of development, humanity and civilisation, regardless of its name, affiliations, location or the tools it uses. “There is no difference between Daesh, Al Houthis, Al Qaida or other groups. They are all terrorists. They all use false religious slogans that are not related to religion in any shape or form. They all serve the interests of enemies of Arabs and Muslims. The assassination reaffirms the credibility of the goals of the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen, in which the UAE is participating to combat the evil and tyrant forces. The Arab coalition does not differentiate between these various forms of terrorism, which are forming a single front in Yemen to fight against the legitimacy. These crimes will not repel the determination to continue supporting the return of the legitimacy and security and stability in Yemen.”

The assassination in Yemen is a horrifying crime that contradicts all ethical and humanitarian values and principles, said Qatar’s Al Sharq. “Above all, it is a desperate attempt by groups suffering from a crisis in Yemen, who are striving to maintain fear in the minds of Yemenis, who are involved in an honourable fight for freedom and the future of their country and to recover it from the clutches of extremists. The only message that can be extracted by this incident and other gruesome ones that are committed by Al Houthis and their allies is that Yemen will emerge victorious in the Restoring Hope battle. The country will not be kept down by the terrorism war machine, and will not surrender to acts of killing and fear-mongering.”

The United States has finally realised that it needs real military force to defeat Daesh and if it does not fight it today in Syria and Iraq, then it will fight it tomorrow in Texas and New York, said the London-based Pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al Awsat. “After years of hesitation, US President Barack Obama’s administration has acknowledged that there is no way to defeat terrorist organisations that are wreaking havoc in Iraq and Syria except by sending in ground troops, instead of being content with air strikes, which are not producing any real change on the ground since the beginning of the international coalition’s operations in September last year. Obama is aware that his administration’s slogan on ‘the absence of a military solution to anything’ has proved his complete failure.”

Oman’s Al Watan said removing Syrian President Bashar Al Assad from his post is no longer a key issue. “The French and British aircrafts are mobilising to conduct air strikes against Daesh, following the heinous attacks carried out by the terrorist group in Paris. More significantly, France seems to have discovered the depth of its error when it conspired against Syria. What is now required from France and the rest of Europe is to unify all their efforts and find a framework that makes it possible to combat terrorism anywhere. Present and future generations of Syrians will not forget their suffering as a result of the stances of Europe, the US and some Arab nations, but judging from recent developments one can only hope that it’s ‘better late than never’.”