Yemen: Attack on U.S. Embassy

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | September 25th, 2008 | Trackback

The attack on the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa Sept. 17, believed to have been carried out by the al-Qaeda network, has authorities worried about a larger issue: militants returning from Iraq schooled in more aggressive forms of terrorism than Yemen had previously seen. Officials worry that this new generation of terrorists will be ruthless in their attacks, possibly targeting minority Muslim sects, foreign companies and tourists. The government has only weak control of the country in outlying tribal areas and cannot crack down too hard for fear of alienating citizens if there are civilian casualties, which could build support for al-Qaeda. Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy has authorized the departure of non-emergency personnel and family members and urges Americans to defer non-essential travel to Yemen. Due to the same Sept. 17 attack, The U.S. State Department added a Travel Alert for the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf on Sept. 23 and recommended that U.S. citizens traveling to or already in the region to maintain a high level of vigilance.

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