‘US intervention in Yemen could strengthen al-Qaeda’

Press TV
Friday, January 8th, 2010

A senior Yemeni official has warned that any military intervention
by the United States in the country to fight al-Qaeda will not go as
planned and to the contrary would make the terrorist network stronger.

“Any intervention or direct [military] action by the United
States could strengthen the al-Qaeda network and not weaken it,”
Rashed Al-Alimi, the deputy prime minister for defense and security
affairs, said on Thursday.

“Our position is clear; we will fight and chase the al-Qaeda
group depending on Yemeni forces and security agencies,” he added.

The comments came amid reports that Washington is reviewing targets
for possible strike on Yemeni soil in retaliation for a failed
Christmas Day attack on a Detroit-bound airliner.

Two senior US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in late December
that the preparation is aimed at being ready with options for the White
House, should US President Barack Obama order a retaliatory strike.
They added that the effort is to see whether the targets can be
specifically linked to the planning for the airliner incident.

“US special operations forces and intelligence agencies, and
their Yemeni counterparts, are working to identify potential al-Qaeda
targets in Yemen,” one of the officials said.