Yemen official tells AP US troops not wanted

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Yemen official tells AP US troops not wanted

By LEE KEATH, Associated Press Writer Lee Keath, Associated Press Writer – 30

mins ago

SAN'A, Yemen – As Yemen becomes the new front in the war on terror, its leaders

want this to be clear: It does not intend to become another Iraq or Afghanistan

with thousands of U.S. troops on the ground.

Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi drew some red lines Wednesday in its

burgeoning alliance with Washington against al-Qaida, telling The Associated

Press that Yemen welcomes U.S. and foreign troops for training, intelligence and

logistical support.

" But not in any other capacity, " he said, adding, " there is a lot of

sensitivity " among Yemenis about foreign combat troops. He underlined that

Yemeni forces would remain under Yemeni command, without any joint authority

with the Americans.

His comments came as Yemeni security forces carried out a hunt for Mohammed

Ahmed al-Hanaq, the suspected leader of an al-Qaida cell believed to be plotting

attacks on the U.S. Embassy or other consulates in Yemen. While troops searched

in the mountainous region of Arhab northeast of San'a where he was hiding,

officials were negotiating with local tribal sheiks, demanding al-Hanaq's

surrender.

Washington and San'a are still feeling out how far they can go in their newly

intensified partnership against al-Qaida, whose fighters have dug roots into the

mountains of this impoverished Arab nation and now, the Obama administration

says, present a global threat.

Military personnel from the United States and other Western countries are

already on the ground helping train Yemeni counterterror units and exchanging

intelligence, and Washington and Britain are ramping up aid, pouring in tens of

millions of dollars to build up the security forces.

Yemen's government has been weakened by wars, poverty and its own misrule and

corruption. Central authority barely extends beyond the capital, and heavily

armed tribes control large areas. Many tribes are bitter toward San'a, and some

give refuge to al-Qaida fighters.

The U.S. says the group in Yemen, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula,

trained and provided the explosive materials for the 23-year-old Nigerian

accused of trying to blow up an American passenger jet heading to Detroit on

Christmas Day. This week, the U.S. and other Western countries temporarily

closed their embassies in San'a after threats of a terrorist attack surfaced.

The move was criticized by al-Qirbi.

" It was the wrong decision actually, " he said of the closures Sunday and Monday.

" Closing embassies in response to a threat plays into the hands of the

terrorists. "

He was also critical of Obama's decision to halt the release of Yemenis held at

Guantanamo Bay military prison, out of fear they could return to terror

activities. The government " would like Yemenis to be handed over " and will

prosecute any who committed crimes, al-Qirbi said.

Al-Qirbi said the U.S. should focus itself on building up Yemen's own forces.

Mistrust of the United States is high among the population of 22 million, and

President Ali Abdullah Saleh relies in part on support from Islamic

conservatives — including some in the military — who may resist too close an

alliance with the Americans against al-Qaida.

As a result, while Yemen has embraced U.S. help, Saleh is deeply wary of giving

up too much authority or appearing to be a tool of Washington, a charge often

leveled by extremists against Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

" I'm sure that (the West's) experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan will

be very useful to learn from — that direct intervention complicates things, " he

said.

Brennan, President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser, said this

week the U.S. is not talking about deploying combat troops in the country.

On Monday, Yemen's security forces tried to capture al-Hanaq in an assault on

his convoy. Al-Hanaq escaped, but two fighters with him were killed. The U.S.

and British embassies reopened the following day, saying the operation largely

resolved the threat.

On Tuesday, security forces arrested three other cell members wounded in the

clash while they were being treated in a hospital in a nearby town. Four people

who took them to the hospital were also detained, the Interior Ministry said

Wednesday.

Several hundred al-Qaida fighters are believed to be operating in Yemen,

including foreign veterans of the Iraqi and Afghan wars and Yemenis drawn in by

extremist ideology or anger at the Saleh government. Among the senior leadership

are two Saudi militants released from Guantanamo several years ago.

Yemen carried out its biggest strikes in years against al-Qaida hideouts last

month, and it has beefed up troops in al-Qaida strongholds around San'a and in

outlying provinces.

But the strikes have also illustrated the sensitive nature of U.S. cooperation,

amid media reports that U.S. cruise missiles or warplanes were used in the

attacks. U.S. officials have not confirmed the reports, and Yemen says its air

force — which has Russian-made MiG warplanes — carried out the strikes with U.S.

intelligence help.

Earlier this week, al-Qirbi insisted there is no agreement allowing the American

military to use cruise missiles, armed drones or warplanes on Yemeni territory,

" and there is no proposal for such an agreement. "

A number of women, children and other civilians were reported killed in one of

the strikes, a Dec. 17 attack on a suspected al-Qaida training camp. The deaths

raised an outcry among Yemenis — and San'a fears the possibility of fueling

sympathy for al-Qaida, as Afghan and Pakistani officials argue U.S. strikes have

in their countries.

An international conference being convened by Britain with the U.S. and other

nations on Jan. 27 will explore ways of fighting al-Qaida in Yemen. Al-Qirbi

said he hopes the London gathering will bring promises of aid. " On these

commitments and on the response to Yemen's needs will depend the success of

Yemen in fighting terrorism and radicalization. "

___

AP correspondent Ahmed al-Haj in San'a contributed to this report.