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The Siege of Dammaj started in October 2011 when the Houthis, a Shia Zaidi rebel group which control the Saada Governorate, accused a Sunni Salafi loyal to the Yemeni regime〔Yemen Times (Sectarian conflict looms in Sa’ada ), October 30, 2011〕 of smuggling weapons into their religious center in the town of Dammaj and demanded they hand over their weapons and military posts in the town. When the Salafis refused the Houthis imposed a siege on the town.〔Yemen Post (Clashes in Sa’ada Between Houthis and Salafis ), November 5, 2011〕 The town is controlled by the Houthis and the fighting was mainly centered on Dar al-Hadith religious school,〔(YEMEN: Children at risk as aid access denied ), December 6, 2011〕 which is run by Salafis,〔 although its founder (imam Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i) rejected Osama bin Laden in the 1990s. The Salafis from Dammaj and the current imam of Dar al-Hadith, Sheikh Yahya Hajoori are totally against al-Qaeda and all that they stand for.〔Tuhfah Al-Mujeeb, from the chapter "Who’s Behind the Bombings in the Two Sanctuaries (Mecca & Medina)?", 1996〕 On 22 December, a ceasefire was signed in which both sides agreed to the removal of all their military checkpoints and barriers around the town. Neutral armed men from the Hashid and Bakil tribes would be deployed around the town to ensure both sides adhere to the ceasefire.〔 However, fighting started again on 29 October 2013 when Houthis shelled a Salafi mosque and the adjacent religious school, anticipating an attack from Salafist fighters who had gathered in Dammaj. Houthi fighters later took over many positions evacuated by Salafist gunmen in the area of Kitaf wa Al Boqe'e District, north of Sa'dah city and subsequently destroyed the symbolic Dar al-Hadith Salafist religious school. After sectarian violence killed over 830 people in 2013, a ceasefire was brokered by the Yemeni government in January 2014. As part of the ceasefire, Yemeni troops have been deployed to the town of Dammaj and evacuated all Salafist fighters and their families to the neighboring Al Hudaydah Governorate.〔 ==Prelude== During the Shia insurgency in Yemen, the government of Yemen recruited over 5,000 Salafi fighters to fight alongside the government.〔(Regime and Periphery in Northern Yemen: The Huthi Phenomenon ), September 17, 2010〕 Houthis also alleged that the government was using al-Qaeda fighters as mercenaries to fight against them.〔Press TV (Yemen employs al-Qaeda mercenaries: Houthis ), October 28, 2009〕 At least 69 students from Dar al-Hadith were killed during Operation Scorched Earth, fighting on the government's side.〔 When the Yemeni Revolution against Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh started, the Houthis joined the protests〔Press TV (Houthis join protests in north Yemen ), February 22, 2011〕 and used the opportunity to seize control of Sa'dah in March.〔Arab News (Yemeni regime loses grip on four provinces ), March 28, 2011〕 The Salafi group in Dar al-Hadith, however, denounced the protests, siding with the regime.〔 In July, clashes started between Houthis and militants loyal to the Sunni Islamist Al-Islah party in Al Jawf Governorate,〔Reuters (Factional fighting brings Yemen unrest nearer Saudi ), July 12, 2011〕 in which over 120 people were killed〔Yemen Post (Yemeni Revolution Slowly entering Phase of War ), July 29, 2011〕 and in August, an al-Qaeda bombing killed 14 Houthis in Jawf,〔Xinhua News Agency (Suspected al-Qaida car bomb kills 14 Shi'ite Houthi rebels in Yemen: official ), August 15, 2011〕 after which the Houthis killed four students from Dar al-Hadith in a vehicle in Sa'dah city.〔Yemen Times (Salafis Unite Against Shiite Houthi Threat ), November 30, 2011〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Siege of Dammaj」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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