CAIRO Ñ Yemen plans to begin the trial of those suspected of bombing
the USS Cole, in which 17 American sailors were killed.
A Yemeni government publication said the trial would begin imminently.
The September 26 weekly, published by Yemen's Defense Ministry, said the
files of the accused have been relayed to the prosecutor and will be
reviewed.
The newspaper did not say how many people would stand trial.
The United States has been pressing Yemen to begin trial of at least six
suspects in the USS Cole attack. Al Qaida was blamed for the suicide mission
in October 2000 in the southern port of Aden.
Last year, Yemen reported that it had completed the investigation into
the USS Cole bombing. The United States sent an FBI delegation to review the
evidence and assess whether other suspects could be investigated.
The trial comes amid plans to launch a Yemeni offensive against Al Qaida
strongholds in the east. Western diplomatic sources said 2,000 U.S.-trained
special operations forces have been deployed in the governorates of Marib,
Shabwah, and Al Jawf.
Last week, U.S. ambassador to Sanaa Edmond Hull outlined security
cooperation between his country and Yemen. He said the cooperation is
comprised
of helping build a Yemeni coast guard, training Yemeni special operations
forces and developing areas that have harbored Al Qaida insurgents.
In an unrelated development, the number two figure in Al Qaida is said
to have been killed. The Moscow-based Itar-
Tass news agency, citing what it termed informed sources, said Ayman
Zawahiri, regarded as the top aide of Al Qaida founder Osama Bin Laden, was
killed in Afghanistan during a special operation conducted by unidentified
forces. The news agency did not say when Zawahiri died.
An Egyptian fugitive physician, Zawahiri was a leader of the Islamic
Jihad group. He was regarded as a leading financier of Al Qaida and an
architect of the Sept. 1, 2001 Al Qaida suicide attacks on New York and
Washington.
