Lost in Translation
Rock around the clock, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula edition
The Yemeni interior ministry has pledged to fight al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula "around the clock," according to AFP, because of the group's recent threats against U.S. interests.
It's a fanciful statement -- the Yemeni government doesn't really have the resources to prosecute a 'round-the-clock war against AQAP. It's also incorrect: AFP didn't translate the ministry's statement correctly.
The actual statement (عربي) uses the word القاعدة -- al-Qaeda -- just once: It says Yemen's security forces "aren't scared" by AQAP. On the other hand, it uses the word الإرهابية -- al-irhabeen, "the terrorists" -- three times.
These two words are interchangeable to a Western audience. But they're not synonymous in Yemen; when the government uses al-irhabeen, it's referring to three threats: the Huthi rebels, the southern separatists, and AQAP. So when the Yemeni government says it will fight "terrorists" around the clock, it doesn't just mean al-Qaeda. A translation of that paragraph:
The leadership of the ministry said there will be no truce with terrorists, and the security services will continue to strike them wherever they exist; it will fight terrorist elements around the clock.
The statement goes on to criticize the southern separatists -- it mentions them by name -- for the "acts of sabotage, riots, and chaos" they cause in southern Yemen.






No Comments
Post a Comment