Terrorists in Yemen Plotted Attacks on Koreans
By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
The recent attacks on South Koreans in Yemen have raised more questions than answers. Why did they target Koreans?
Was it just a mere coincidence, or a premeditated plan? And was it preventable?
Seoul officials say it is too early to jump to the conclusion that the terrorists intentionally attacked Koreans.
``There is a possibility the two incidents were linked, but the terrorists may have carried out the second attack believing that the convoy was escorting high-ranking Yemeni officials,'' a Seoul official said, Thursday. ``The VIP convoy that carried the Koreans belongs to the Yemeni President.''
However, Ma Gyeong-chan, an eyewitness to the two terrorist assaults and the CEO of Theme Say Tour, which organized the group visit, believes that the terrorist attacks purposely targeted Koreans, not Yemeni officials.
``I was riding in a Toyota jeep and the family members of the victims were also riding in another Toyota jeep that I rented. I disagree with the view that the terrorists mistakenly attacked us,'' Ma told The Korea Times, Friday.
``Those kinds of cars can be seen frequently, as it is a tourist destination."
So, then, why did they target Koreans? There are two possibilities.
First, the growing number of anti-government terrorists may have wanted to jeopardize the Yemeni government. In recent years, it further strengthened its fight against terrorism, having killed or arrested many al-Qaida members and religious extremists.
``It is possible that the terrorist group wants to subvert the government,'' Choi Jin-tae, head of the Korea Research Institute on Terrorism, told The Korea Times.
``They may want to topple the government by ruining the country's tourism industry and trade.''
However, Choi believes that the back-to-back attacks were related to the second scenario and carried out against international efforts to root out terrorist networks spread worldwide.
He said that a central al-Qaida command has begun to launch ``faceless attacks.''
``Since 9/11, al-Qaida has learned that it may not be helpful to proclaim their responsibility, which only resulted in the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan to remove terrorists,'' said Choi.
``They may have opted to carry out faceless attacks as this tactic has been proven to increase fear and prevent possible revenge against them.''
Choi also believes that South Korea's recent deployment of a warship off the waters of Somalia to fight against pirates might have triggered the attacks.
``If you look at the map, Somalia and Yemen are right next to each other and share the same sea, the Gulf of Aden, to which the Korean navy ship has been dispatched,'' he said.
``Terrorist groups may have concluded that the U.S.-led international efforts to combat pirates off the coast of Somalia is just an excuse to expand anti-terrorist campaigns and such international anti-terrorist efforts may spread across Yemen.''
So, then, was it possible to prevent Sunday's tragic incident that killed four South Korean tourists?
Seoul officials said the government will take all possible measures to protect South Korean nationals against terrorism.
However, solid preventive measures have yet to be adopted as an anti-terrorism bill is still pending at the National Assembly.
``Though the government runs its Web site, it's almost obsolete and does not provide up-to-date and objective information about travel destinations. Simply put, too many countries are classified as ones not to travel to," Choi said. He added that anti-Korean sentiment has been brewing in Yemen among anti-government forces following the expansion of bilateral trade.