Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — Yemen and the United States have held a summit
that focused on military and security cooperation.

Officials said Yemeni President Abbed Rabbo Mansour Hadi met
administration leaders during his visit to Washington in late July/early August.

The officials said the talks, attended by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, focused on Yemen counter-insurgency cooperation with Washington, which included additional U.S. military aid.

“Secretary Hagel and President Hadi reiterated their steadfast commitment to standing together in the region given the geographic and strategic importance of Yemen,” Defense Department spokesman George Little
said.

In a briefing on July 30, Little said Hagel and Hadi focused on CI cooperation, particularly against Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The Pentagon spokesman also reported Yemen’s success in reorganizing its military.

“Secretary Hagel praised Yemen for its role as a key partner of the
United States and expressed his thanks for the continued cooperation on
mutual security assistance issues,” Little said.

In return, Hadi has urged the administration and Congress to approve the
release of scores of Yemenis detained at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo,
Cuba. The president has pledged that the detainees, linked to Al Qaida,
would be monitored in their home country.

Officials said Hadi, scheduled to meet President Barack Obama on Aug. 1,
sought additional U.S. military aid for Yemen in 2014. They said the
administration was considering an aid package meant to accelerate the
modernization of Yemen’s military and security forces.

Under Hadi, the U.S. military has been conducting frequent unmanned
aerial vehicle strikes on suspected AQAP operatives. The air strikes have
generated widespread opposition within Yemen, highlighted in a hearing in
Congress in June.

“In particular, he thanked President Hadi for Yemen’s ongoing role in
countering terrorism in the region and noted the positive reorganization of
Yemen’s military forces,” Little said.

  Abbed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Chuck Hagel, George Little, release of Yemeni Gitmo prisoners, Yemen president in Washington for security summit