Don’t go bar-hopping in Yemen

It’s probably not a good idea to drink alcohol in Yemen these days: it could get you killed.

As Islamist groups gain strength amid multiple civil conflicts that have loosened the grip of the central government there, militants are showing increased boldness in southern Yemen, AP reports: 

Islamic militants stormed a hotel where alcohol is served in a southern Yemeni city on Wednesday, setting the building on fire, killing two people and wounding 20.

The raid reportedly prompted guests on the higher floors to escape by tying bed-sheets together and scaling down the side of the building.

It should be noted, however, that qat, an ever-green plant with narcotic properties, is chewed widely in Yemen.

In 2010, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh came under fire for an offhand remark published by Wikileaks in its mass release of confidential US State Department cables. 

“I don't care if he smuggles whiskey into Yemen,” President Saleh said of Djiboutian President Ismail Guelleh in a meeting with US General David Petraeus. “Provided its good whiskey.”