27 Dec. 2001 - 2 Jan. 2002
Issue No.566
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 27 Dec. 2001 - 2 Jan. 2002 Issue No.566 |
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Yemen softens its stance
Yemen has shown its willingness to cooperate with the US in its fight against terrorism by declaring war against suspected Al-Qa'eda operatives on its soil. Nasser Arrabyee reports
The Yemeni government has been waging an unprecedented military attack on a tribal group that was believed to be harbouring at least five people suspected of being Al-Qa'eda members. The move is seen as an effort on Yemen's part to prove to the US it is distancing itself from terrorists and their activities and is eager to do its part in the war against terrorism.
The attack by tanks and helicopters against remote areas east of Yemen has so far killed a number of tribesmen and 18 government soldiers. But only one of the wanted people was reported to have been arrested. Security sources in the Shabwa province confirmed on Monday they had held one Al-Qa'eda suspect. No name or description of the detainee was given.
Though 17 US sailors were killed when two Al- Qa'eda suicide bombers attacked the USS Cole in the harbour of Yemen's Aden port in October 2000, the response of the Yemeni government fell short of US expectations. After rounding up eight suspects, it declared its investigation over and refused FBI requests for wider probes. FBI investigators left the country last summer because of "credible threats" to their safety.
In the past three months, however, the Yemeni government has rounded up and deported hundreds of foreign Afghan war veterans -- so-called "Arab Afghans" -- who had lived in the country, tightened its visa requirements, frozen bank accounts connected to Al-Qa'eda, turned over intelligence files and promised to pursue suspects on a list delivered by US authorities.
In turn, when Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh visited Washington last month, US officials granted a package of $400 million in American and international aid. Yemen's government has always been walking a tightrope between pleasing Washington and avoiding provoking the anger of its people, who are hostile towards America. After 11 September, however, US officials say Yemen has made unprecedented efforts to cooperate.
At a meeting bringing together senior military and security officials last week, Saleh emphasised that an "iron fist" should be used to crack down on those trying to undermine the country's security.
"I think the campaign being launched by the government security forces against those elements suspected to be members of Al-Qa'eda organisation is a right step on the road of combating terrorism," Yemeni deputy minister of information, Mohamed Shaher, told Al-Ahram Weekly.
"Yemen's attitude towards terrorism is clearly declared: Yemen condemns all kinds of terrorism and it will, of course, never accept any activities in connection with terrorists or suspects," Shaher added.
For his part, Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul- Qader Ba-Jammal said on Friday that ongoing military operations of hunting people belonging to terrorist cells, notably the Al-Qa'eda organisation, represented the official stance of Yemen's political leadership and government. He said the aim of those operations was to keep Yemen free of terrorist activities, which would have an adverse effect on the country's economy, security, stability and its relations with other states.
"The battle is exclusively against terrorists and outlaws, and we all have to work harder to consolidate the state's authority in all parts of the country," added the premier.
"It is significant to bring all social forces under the sway of law and order. By doing that, we achieve equality, justice, and social peace sought by all citizens," he said.
However, independent observers argue that getting rid of Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden's cells is far from simple. Khaled Al-Mahdi, a well- known Yemeni journalist and writer, said this task "constitutes the most tricky part in the rocky road of eradicating terrorist groups."
"The success of the mission ahead for Sana'a, which is taking the first strong movement against Al-Qa'eda's supposed operatives, is largely dependent on the cooperation of the tribal leaders," he explains. Al-Mahdi believes such a huge combing operation is a sign of determination on the part of the government to safeguard Yemen from possible targeting by US arsenals.
"By doing that, the government is showing its commitment to work hand-in-hand with the US-led anti-terrorism coalition," he said.
Bin Laden's father was born in the Hudramout region, in the far east of Yemen. The poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen was united under one flag only in 1990, after a civil war in which the southern secessionists were defeated.
With some 50 million guns still in the hands of the Yemeni people, the country has been troubled not only by tribal lawlessness, but by the return of militants radicalised during the Afghan war against the Soviet Union. Some of the militants joined groups such as the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army, which the government has been pressed to eradicate.
Since the USS Cole bombing, blamed on Bin Laden supporters in Yemen, relations between the United States and Yemen have been tense.
The US complained that Yemeni investigators were not granting US officials the right to interview suspects. More sensitively, US authorities felt that Yemeni investigators were unwilling to follow potentially embarrassing leads that may point to a more organised Bin Laden network with possible links to government officials.
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