LONDON Ñ U.S. soldiers have been sent to Yemen
to help in a search-and-destroy operation against Al Qaida insurgents, Arab diplomatic sources said.
The sources said 200 to 400 American soldiers arrived in Sanaa over the last two weeks and are taking up
positions in the northern and eastern parts of the country.
The London-based Al Hayat daily reported that most of the U.S. troops
are under the supervision of the CIA. The newspaper said the U.S. military
force is meant to help Yemen track and capture Al Qaida insurgents.
The regime of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has denied reports
that up to 600 U.S. troops have entered the country, Middle East Newsline reported. But Yemeni government
sources acknowledged that at least 100 U.S. military trainers are meant to
arrive in
the country to help direct the effort against Al Qaida.
The reports come on the eve of a 10-day Middle East tour by U.S. Vice
President Richard Cheney. Cheney is expected to visit 12 countries,
including Yemen, in an effort to bolster Arab cooperation against Al Qaida
and
its Islamic allies as well to form a coalition against Iraq.
Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said U.S. military
personnel have been deployed in Yemen. Rumsfeld said Washington intends to
prevent Al Qaida from converting Yemen into its next base of operations.
"People ask why we're in Yemen," Rumsfeld said. "My answer is, would you
like Yemen to become the next Afghanistan? I think nobody wants that to
happen, and goodness knows the Yemeni government does not. "
On Friday, a senior U.S. defense official voiced concern that Al Qaida
insurgents are fleeing to Yemen. The official pointed to the bombing of the
USS Cole in Aden in October 2000, an attack attributed to Saudi fugitive
Osama Bin Laden.
"Given it's Bin Laden's father's historical homeland, it is another
place where we think Al Qaida
members might flee," the official said.
