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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 6-Sep-2010
6-Sep-10 News -- US proposes more military aid to Yemen

Web Log - September, 2010

6-Sep-10 News -- US proposes more military aid to Yemen

Report: Iran is paying the Taliban $1,000 for killing each US soldier

US Central Command proposes $1.2 billion in military aid to Yemen

The US Armed Forces Central Command has proposed delivering up to $1.2 billion in weapons and related expenses for Yemen's security forces, to be used in fighting Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Predator drone firing missile

Predator drone firing missile

In recent years, US military assistance to Yemen has expanded dramatically, costing $155 million in 2010 alone, according to AFP. In the past, the aid has included military helicopters, patrol boats, trucks and training, while American special forces also work in Yemen.

Yemen

Yemen

American involvement is suspected of being deeper than that. In June, a story broke that missile parts from an American cruise missile were found in an al-Qaeda training camp, from an attack in Yemen in December. However, Yemeni authorities insist that the attack was carried out by their forces alone, according to the Independent.

The new request comes only a couple of weeks after the CIA has made a remarkable change in its assessment of AQAP, now considering it to be a greater threat to US security than the core al-Qaeda group in Pakistan and Afghanistan. (See "27-Aug-10 News -- U.S. considering escalating military role in Yemen.")

This situation has been building since December 25 of last year, when an attempted bombing of an airplane over Detroit failed, and it was learned that the perpetrator, the "underwear bomber," had been trained by AQAP in Yemen.

In January, U.S. Gen. David Petraeus recommended providing additional security funds to Yemen, but said that no American troops would be involved, according to CNN.

The new weapons being considered for Yemen are armed, unmanned aerial drones operated by the CIA, mirroring the CIA's drone campaign in Pakistan, according to the Wall Street Journal (Access).

It's not known whether the change in CIA assessment means that the question of US troops in Yemen is now on the the table, but the Yemenis themselves insist that US troops are not wanted, since the Yemeni troops can handle the problems by themselves, according to the Yemen Post. (See "1-Sep-10 News -- Amsterdam arrests highlight Yemen confusion.")

There are widespread fears for the Yemen government's stability.

Yemen is fighting two separate wars at the same time. In northwest Yemen, the army is fighting a rebellion by ethnic Houthis. This fight spilled over the border into Saudi Arabia earlier this year, bringing Saudi airstrikes into the Houthi region of Yemen. It's also suspected that Iran is supplying some weapons to the Houthi rebels, who practice a form of Shia Islam.

In the south, Yemen is fighting al-Qaeda militants, who have taken control of a large region and set up terrorist training camps. The CIA assessment is that AQAP is becoming more agile and agressive, and capable of training many more suicide bombers, so that sooner or later one of them will succeed in launching a successful terrorist attack on American soil.

As we've discussed a number of times in the past, al-Qaeda has turned into a kind of "virtual terrorist group," a brand name for loosely linked local Sunni Muslim terrorist groups in countries from the Pacific, through Asia and the Mideast to Africa, and north through central Asia to Russia and the Caucasus. The objective of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda leaders is to replicate the success of the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran to create a Sunni Muslim state in some country. They've tried in Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and other countries, and they've failed so far, but they will not stop until they succeed.

The situation in Yemen is becoming increasingly serious, and the American involvement in Yemen continues to escalate. Whether or when American troops will be introduced into Yemen remains to be seen, but it seems certain that if a severe crisis develops in Yemen, then American troops may well be considered necessary.

Additional links

According to a report, Iran is paying the Taliban $1,000 for each U.S. soldier that they kill in Afghanistan. MSNBC. This report shows how confused Iran's situation is. Sunni extremist groups, including al-Qaeda and the Taliban, have been targeting Shia groups in Pakistan. So if this report is true, then Iran is paying off its enemy.

The Nato troop withdrawal, set to begin in July 2011, along with the drive by President Hamid Karzai's government for reconciliation with the Taliban, is causing a resurgence of some of the harshest effects of Sharia law, including the closure of all girls' schools, barring women from employment, and forcing women to wear the all-encompassing burqa, while men are ordered to cover their heads as well. RFE/RL

20% of Pakistan is still covered by flood waters, and the floods are giving renewed clout to the Pakistan Army, and weakening the Pakistan government of President Asif Ali Zardari. Reuters

Like France, Italy is shutting down Roma Gypsy settlement camps, and deporting the people back to their countries of origin. However, Italy isn't really copying the French, since they've been doing it longer than the French have. Apparently, the French policy is based on what the Italians have been doing. NY Times

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 6-Sep-10 News -- US proposes more military aid to Yemen thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (6-Sep-2010) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 6-Sep-2010 6-Sep-10 News -- US proposes more military aid to Yemen

US Central Command proposes $1.2 billion in military aid to Yemen

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 6-Sep-2010
6-Sep-10 News -- US proposes more military aid to Yemen