Naradmuni
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WASHINGTON: In the midst of two unfinished major wars, the US has quietly opened a third, largely covert front against al-Qaida in Yemen.
A year ago, the Central Intelligence Agency sent several of its top field operatives with counterterrorism experience to the country, according a former top agency official. At the same time, some of the most secretive Special Operations commandos have begun training Yemeni security forces in counterterrorism tactics, senior military officers said.
The Pentagon is spending more than $70 million over the next 18 months, and using teams of Special Forces, to train and equip Yemeni military, interior ministry and coast guard forces, more than doubling military aid levels.
As American investigators sought to corroborate the claims of a 23-year-old Nigerian man who said Qaida leaders in Yemen had trained and equipped him to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines jet on Christmas Day, the plot casts a spotlight on the Obama administration's complicated relationship with Yemen.
The country has long been a refuge for jihadists, in part because Yemen's government welcomed returning Islamist fighters who had fought in Afghanistan during the 1980s. The port of Aden was the site of the audacious bombing of the American destroyer Cole in October 2000 by Qaida militants, which killed 17 sailors.
The White House is seeking to nurture enduring ties with the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh and prod him to combat the local Qaida affiliate, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
With fears also growing of a resurgent Islamist extremism in Somalia and East Africa, lawmakers said that Yemen could become al-Qaida's next operational and training hub, rivaling the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan where the organization's top leaders operate.
A year ago, the Central Intelligence Agency sent several of its top field operatives with counterterrorism experience to the country, according a former top agency official. At the same time, some of the most secretive Special Operations commandos have begun training Yemeni security forces in counterterrorism tactics, senior military officers said.
The Pentagon is spending more than $70 million over the next 18 months, and using teams of Special Forces, to train and equip Yemeni military, interior ministry and coast guard forces, more than doubling military aid levels.
As American investigators sought to corroborate the claims of a 23-year-old Nigerian man who said Qaida leaders in Yemen had trained and equipped him to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines jet on Christmas Day, the plot casts a spotlight on the Obama administration's complicated relationship with Yemen.
The country has long been a refuge for jihadists, in part because Yemen's government welcomed returning Islamist fighters who had fought in Afghanistan during the 1980s. The port of Aden was the site of the audacious bombing of the American destroyer Cole in October 2000 by Qaida militants, which killed 17 sailors.
The White House is seeking to nurture enduring ties with the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh and prod him to combat the local Qaida affiliate, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
With fears also growing of a resurgent Islamist extremism in Somalia and East Africa, lawmakers said that Yemen could become al-Qaida's next operational and training hub, rivaling the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan where the organization's top leaders operate.
