To meet the houthis bitter rivals. Narrator from inside yemen the story of how the Houthi Rebels ignited a battle that has turned an american ally into a warzone of antiamerican militants. Narrator with a Saudi Led Coalition trying to break the houthis hold. explosion frontline investigates the fight for yemen. Frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. And by the corporation for public broadcasting. Major support for frontline is provided by the john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. More information is available at macfound. Org. Additional support is provided by the Park Foundation dedicated to heightening Public Awareness of critical issues. The ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. At fordfoundation. Org. The wyncote foundation. And by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. Corporate funding for frontline is provided by whether its discovering an aspirin a day can prevent heart attacks worldwide, or creating cells that regenerate new heart muscle, our goal is developing treatments that save lives. Brigham and womens hospital. Al ahmad i came to yemen to try and understand what is driving the groups now fighting for control of the country. gunshots in particular, i wanted to meet the Houthi Rebels. The houthis had mobilized thousands of fighters, and by last fall they had begun pushing south from their northern stronghold close to the saudi border. Yemens government was weak, its army fractured. The houthis saw an opportunity. When i first arrived several months ago, the houthis had already pushed into the capital, sanaa. The houthis are mostly zaidi muslims, from the shia branch of islam. Their slogan is now seen everywhere. Its a political chant from the days of Ayatollah Khomeini and the iranian revolution. It reads god is great, death to america, death to israel, god curse the jews, victory to islam. I stayed with the family of my close friend radiya, a human rights activist. Her father, dr. Mohmed al mutawakel, is a prominent, independent local politician. I ask radiya to take me on a drive around sanaa, to show me how the city has changed since the houthi takeover. giggles al ahmad the houthis had set up checkpoints all over the city, but at the time they had left the Yemeni Government bureaucracy functioning. Their control was still tentative. Abdulillah is a member of the socalled revolutionary committee, which the houthis have established to impose their control on the government. They are a secretive movement. They wont even tell me how many of them are in the city. After weeks of negotiations, they finally let me follow them in action. Al ahmad this is an unannounced visit to the ministry of finance. The houthis had put their own guards inside the ministries. Al ahmad abdu rabu al mortha is also a member of the revolutionary committee. Together with abdulillah, they had come to confront the deputy minister about billions of yemeni riyals of Government Funds they said were missing. They walk right into the office of deputy minister jamal al maliki. Al ahmad the revolutionary committee refused to leave until the deputy minister signed a document ordering an investigation into the missing funds. The houthi anticorruption agenda helped them gain popular support, but their grab for power has also made them enemies. They have largely driven out the previously dominant Muslim Brotherhood forces. But they also face fierce opposition from al qaeda, which for years has been maintaining a stronghold in yemen. explosion shouting three weeks after they took control, a huge bomb devastated a houthi rally. The bombing in Tahrir Square was the bloodiest in sanaa for years, killing more than 60 people. I arrived on the scene soon after the attack. It was only my first week in yemen. Al Ahmad Al Qaeda are fiercely opposed to the houthis. Their sunni extremist beliefs mean they consider the houthis heretics. Al qaeda claimed responsibility for the bombing. The houthi leadership quickly arranged a large state funeral for the victims and even bigger rallies in the following days. I want to understand how this mountain militia managed to seize the capital of yemen. So i travel north, to the mountains of sadah and the birthplace of the houthis. explosion they are a Movement Born of war. The Yemeni Government, fearing the spread of their ideology launched six wars against the houthis in the last decade. Their leader and namesake was a zaidi, hussein al houthi. The zaidis ruled north yemen for more than a thousand years and make up roughly a quarter of yemens population. At the heart of the zaidi faith is the principle of rebellion against unjust rulers. Following the attacks on the twin towers in september 2001, and the invasion of iraq hussein alhouthi developed a radical theory that combined zaidi revivalism with an antiimperialist, antiu. S. Agenda. Dhayf allah alshami, a senior houthi, was my guide in sadah. Al Ahmad Hussein ahouthi believed 9 11 was an american and zionist conspiracy to occupy muslim lands. Al ahmad in 2004, hussein alhouthi and his men came under heavy attack by the yemeni army. They hid in a cave in the mountains of sadah. Its now become a shrine for his followers. Al ahmad according to the houthis, the yemeni army poured petrol into the cave, then set it on fire. Many of alhouthis family were killed. Al Ahmad Hussein alhouthi was allegedly captured by the army and later killed. He became a martyr whose ideas still resonate today with his followers. They compare his death to the martyrdom of one of the founders of shia islam, also called hussein. explosions al ahmad by 2009, concerned about the houthis on their border, saudi arabia joined the yemeni armys attack on sadah. Al ahmad the old city of sadah still bears the scars of the sixth and last war. children chanting al ahmad the government maintained an almost complete media blackout during their wars. Until recently, very few in the west had ever heard of the houthis. The effects on the people of sadah have been devastating. Um zayd was one of the few women who stayed during the conflict. Al ahmad um zayds backyard became a cemetery after shelling killed three children. Al ahmad these wars helped turned a small group of houthi ideologues into a fully fledged rebel movement. Dhayf allah offers to take me to the saudi border. The houthis had just taken over the Yemeni Government checkpoints. After years of sporadic fighting between the houthis and saudi forces, this part of the border is now no mans land. Al ahmad we met a local man who lived on the yemeni side of the border. On the saudi side, we could see a deserted village, emptied by the saudi authorities during the 2009 war against the houthis. Al ahmad the saudis attempted to establish a border. But the villagers have found a way around it. Al ahmad it is dangerous for yemenis to attempt to cross the border. The saudis are on guard. Al ahmad as part of their push for power, the houthis hope to seize territory across the saudi border, claiming land they say is rightfully yemens. Al ahmad for the moment, the saudi border may be the limit of houthi control. But their ambitions go way beyond it. Al ahmad the saudis see them as a potent threat and accuse the houthis of collusion with their regional archrival, iran. It has been widely reported that iran gives the group weapons money, and training. Al ahmad but the struggle against the houthis inside yemen is fierce. For years, powerful yemeni tribes received money from saudi arabia. Now the saudis back the sunni tribes opposed to the houthis with cash and arms. And then there is al qaeda. I first saw al qaedas grip on yemen three years ago, while filming for frontline. I went to jaar, a town al qaeda had taken control of in 2011 with little resistance from the army. The Yemeni Government had been receiving arms, training, and intelligence from the United States to help fight al qaeda growing in yemen. Jaar is in the south, not far from the gulf of aden. As we reached the edge of town the flag of al qaeda, a clear sign i had entered their territory. Al ahmad our contact was a fighter and political officer who called himself fouad. He was a member of ansar al sharia, the local affiliate of al qaeda. The United States considers this branch of al qaeda among the most dangerous in the world. It has been behind plots to attack the United States. Fouad said u. S. Drones and the Yemeni Air Force often attack them. Al ahmad he agreed to take us on a tour of jaar. He wanted to show us how al qaeda effectively governed an entire city. Back then, three years ago attacks from american and Yemeni Forces made the locals fear for their lives. Al ahmad surprisingly, we found al qaeda allowed National Newspape to be sold. This headline said a Government Air strike had killed many local fighters. Al ahmad to show their strength, al qaeda summoned locals to the town theater where they were shown this video of al qaeda fighters attacking a major army base close to jaar. gunfire shouting almost 200 yemeni soldiers were reportedly killed. Dozens were taken prisoner and believed to be held near jaar. The regional al qaeda commander at the time, jalal al marqashi was filmed visiting the prisoners. Al ahmad we were taken to see some of those prisoners. They were being held in a series of small rooms. While the camera was rolling they pleaded for the government to agree to demands for a prisoner exchange. Al ahmad back then, al qaedas target was the whole yemeni army because they were seen as agents of the United States. Al ahmad by the time we got back to jaar, it was evening. Families were on the street. Stores were open, but most of the shopkeepers werent inside. Al qaeda has its own way of policing. We were told three thieves recently had their hands cut off by al qaeda. loud chanting it was time for evening prayers. Everyone had to go to the mosque and pray. We asked what would happen if they didnt attend. We were told they would be locked up. As night approached, we decided it was too dangerous to stay. Just the day before we arrived a u. S. Drone struck the town. Drone missions have been a key part of american counterterrorism policy in yemen, including the attack which killed americanborn cleric Anwar Alawlaki in the 2011. Three years after that trip i was back, traveling once again into al qaeda territory into al bayda province. But this time the Houthi Rebels had managed to extend their control into al qaeda heartland. Im on one of the most dangerous roads in yemen notorious for bandits and thieves. Only a few months ago, it would have been impossible for me to get here. Al ahmad now there are regular houthi checkpoints. An armed escort took us to rada. This is the houthi front line against al qaeda. Three weeks before we arrived, they had fought an intense battle to take the city. Walid, a houthi fighter, shows us around. Al Ahmad Al Qaeda ruled this city for four years with hardly any reaction from the weak Yemeni Government. This mosque was one of their headquarters. Tariq al thahab, a powerful tribal leader, brought al qaeda into the region and tried to declare it an islamic emirate. Al ahmad the al amriya mosque was built in the 16th century as a center for islamic learning and religious study. Here, and throughout yemen there was no tradition of sectarian hatred. But according to walid, al qaeda preached a creed of division. Al ahmad walid has also accused al qaeda of breaking tribal traditions and targeting civilians. Al ahmad walid wanted me to meet orphans whose families he says were killed by al qaeda. Al ahmad despite the houthi presence, the city was still vulnerable. Several weeks before, a suicide bomber from al qaeda managed to reach the outskirts of rada. The houthis say a young child was put in the front seat to try to sneak the bomb past a checkpoint. Al ahmad many of the locals i talked to were afraid of a houthi retreat, fearing that al qaeda would seek revenge on the town. But the houthis seem determined to stay. Al ahmad walid wanted to prove to me that al qaeda will not be allowed to return. Al ahmad after months of following the houthis, i wanted to meet those who oppose them and hear what they have to say. Kidnapping is a high risk in these areas, but after careful negotiations with the tribal leaders, my camera crew was allowed to cross to the other side of the front line without me. In the mountains beyond rada are the sunni militias fighting the houthis. As the team arrived, an argument broke out over whether they would be allowed to film. Al ahmad many of the sunni tribes in al bayda province are allied to al qaeda, but not all. However, they are united in their fight against the houthis. Al Ahmad Abdullah al khubzi was a commander under the al qaeda leader tariq al thahab. Now he leads several hundred men against the houthis. Al ahmad opposition to the houthi advance is spreading across the southern bayda province. The fractious sunni tribes from the region have come together. Thousands of fighters have joined this new alliance. The head of that alliance, ziyad al majdali, says he is not al qaeda but he is unequivocal that he has a religious duty to fight the houthis. Al ahmad but in other parts of bayda province, some people feel al qaeda has not gone far enough. Ahmad khamis, a prominent local jihadi, says he respects the isis leader, abu bakr al baghdadi. Al ahmad back in sanaa, the capital, just a few weeks after the houthi takeover, the mood has changed. Their slogans are crossed out everywhere. There were rumors the houthis are forming alliances with several tribes and political groups, including the powerful expresident , ali saleh, still one of yemens most powerful men. They are trying to consolidate their control, and that includes the media. I join a press trip organized by the houthis. They say they have uncovered an al qaeda bomb factory in arhab, a village outside sanaa. Al ahmad its clear that the houthis want to control the message the press is putting out. Al ahmad the houthi media were also on hand to broadcast the official version. Al ahmad the houthis say they have arrested these three men for running the bomb factory. Al ahmad as we leave arhab we pass through the village of yahis. Two boys stop our car. They want us to film a house they say was demolished by the houthis. Al ahmad the boys werent sure why the houthis had targeted their village. Al ahmad meanwhile, in the capital, there is evidence the houthis are taking over several sunni mosques and changing their imams. Outside a mosque in the sabaa neighborhood, i hear the call to prayer. Its been changed from the sunni to the zaidi one. Inside the mosque, gunmen were guarding the new houthi imam but he was preaching tolerance. Al ahmad some local residents told me the new imam wasnt as popular. voice on telephone okay, yeah. We went in search of the ousted sunni imam, nabil iskandar. He says the houthis told him to leave the mosque and his home of 14 years. Al ahmad i also wanted to talk to the caretaker of the mosque to see how he felt about the change of imam. But the houthi gunmen didnt want us to film. Al ahmad we tried to interview the caretaker outside the mosque instead. Al ahmad but the houthi gunmen followed us and tried to take our footage. Al ahmad we were detained by the houthis for four hours. They erased some of our footage. Local human Rights Groups say they are becoming more oppressive. They accuse them of assassinating and torturing opponents. car horns honking i went to look for the family of wathah al hitari, a pharmacist who was shot and killed by a man with known links to the houthis. I asked the people in his neighborhood what they thought about him. Al ahmad yassir is w w w wathahs cousin. One of the first to hear of his death. Al ahmad the houthis have denied responsibility for the murder of wathah, but they have offered his family what they consider blood money in compensation. Al ahmad wathahs mother refused to accept the money. Al ahmad then i receive some terrible news. Theres been another assassination in sanaa, but this one is different. chanting in background dr. Mutawakel was on good terms with most political groups but al qaeda are suspected of killing him. No one has claimed responsibility. singing i had wanted to film with him at the end my visit, to help make sense of the events ive seen unraveling yemen. But instead i am filming his funeral. I asked his daughter radiya how she felt about her fathers death. Al ahmad i had watched divisions grow in yemen. Before leaving, i wanted to see the few areas left outside houthi control. So i headed south. I arrive in the largest city in the south, aden. For years, there has been a Popular Movement calling for separation from the north, which the government has tried to crush. There is strong antihouthi sentiment everywhere. Abdulrahman wajeeh al deen is in a dangerous situation. He is one of the few houthi journalists operating in the south. His life is at risk from opponents of the houthis and al qaeda. Al ahmad he reveals to me that for months the houthis have been infiltrating the south. voice on megaphone, shouting al ahmad an enormous rally in support of the secession is taking place. Al ahmad i have never seen so much anger here. The rally turns into a march. Abdulrahman and i follow the crowds as they spill out through the city. It seems clear to me that across yemen the political system is collapsing. Al ahmad as the sun sets over the streets of aden, we hear the sound of gunfire. Government forces are shooting at the protesters. explosion al ahmad i had come to yemen to understand the rise of the houthis. Since my journey, they have gone on to seize control of most of yemens major cities. They reached aden, where the president , abd Rabbuh Mansur hadi, had taken refugee. He later fled to saudi arabia. A Saudiled Coalition has conducted air strikes against yemen, targeting the houthis. And al qaeda and isis are getting stronger. The country is being torn apart. This conflict will not just bring violence and misery to yemen, it is a threat to u. S. And western security and to the stability of the whole region. Go to pbs. Org frontline for more from Safa Al Ahmad on the rise of the houthis. One of the most difficult things about covering the houthis is that it is a very Young Movement and very versatile. So, for example, when they went to sanaa they made alliances with the socialists, with the baathists, with the salafis with the Muslim Brotherhood. I mean, they are really very tactical. And what they want is ultimately power. They dont want to be marginalized anymore. And an interview with former counterterrorism agent ali soufan on what it means for america. Yemen is not that far when you think terrorism and when you think threats. In the United States we need to start thinking that our counterterrorism strategy cannot only focus on drones, on dealing with immediate threats we have to focus on the incubating factors thats causing terrorism in the first place, creating these vacuums where groups like al qaeda or isis can operate and create regional and international threats. Follow frontline on facebook, twitter and pbs. Org frontline. Frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. And by the corporation for public broadcasting. Major support for frontline is provided by the john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. More information is available at macfound. Org. Additional support is provided by the Park Foundation dedicated to heightening Public Awareness of critical issues. The ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. At fordfoundation. Org. The wyncote foundation. And by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. Corporate funding for frontline is provided by brigham and womens hospital. Captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org next time on frontline. Memoy of the camps. Frontlines the fight for yemen is available on dvd. To order, visit shoppbs. Org, or call 1800playpbs. Frontline is also available for download on itunes. This is pbs. Tonight. Man so many people made so much money in the market, it seemed that you just couldnt go wrong. Man 2 theres an old saying on wall street that the two most important emotions are fear and greed. And you go from fear to greed in about a fraction of a second. Man 3 it was wild panic. Just like chickens with their head cut off, they didnt know which way to run. The crash of 1929 on american experience. Nasa announcer liftoff, the clock is running. Ringside announcer schmeling is down