Yemen strikes al-Qaida in U.S.-backed assault

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Yemen strikes al-Qaida in U.S.-backed assault
By Ahmed Al-Haj - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 24, 2009 14:34:16 EST

SAN’A, Yemen — For the second time in a week, Yemen’s military hit suspected al-Qaida hideouts, killing at least 30 militants and targeting a gathering of top leaders in a remote mountain valley Thursday in strikes carried out with U.S. intelligence help, officials said.

The newly aggressive Yemeni campaign against al-Qaida is being boosted by a heavy dose of American aid, a reflection of Washington’s fears that the terror network could turn this fragmented, unstable nation into an Afghanistan-like refuge in a highly strategic location on the border with oil-rich U.S.-ally Saudi Arabia.

The Pentagon recently confirmed it is has poured nearly $70 million in military aid to Yemen this year — compared to none in 2008. The U.S. military has boosted its counterterrorism training for Yemeni forces, and is providing more intelligence, which probably includes surveillance by unmanned drones, according to U.S. officials and analysts.

The result appears to be a sharp escalation in Yemen’s campaign against al-Qaida, which previously amounted to scattered raids against militants, mixed with tolerance of some fighters in return for vague promises they would avoid terror activity.

The United States has been pressing Yemen for well over a year to take tougher action against al-Qaida, which has steadily been building up its presence in the country. Fighters have been arriving from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, gaining safe havens with tribes angry at the government and carrying out attacks in Yemen and even across the border in Saudi Arabia.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_military_yemen_al_qaida_122409/