The United States has pledged to Yemen that it will
maintain a low military profile in the Gulf Arab nation.
U.S. officials said Washington has reduced
the number of military trainers planned for deployment in Yemen in an effort
to avoid a high profile amid the growing insurgency threat to U.S.
installations and personnel in the country.
The chief of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Tommy Franks, has arrived in
Yemen for talks with defense leaders, Middle East Newsline reported. The talks are expected to focus on
U.S.-Yemeni security cooperation as well as the future of U.S. ships
refueling at the port of Aden.
U.S. officials and Arab diplomatic sources said Washington and Yemen had
originally agreed to the deployment of up to 400 American troops. The
troops would train Yemeni forces and help them launch attacks on Islamic
insurgency strongholds near the Saudi border.
But the sources said the Bush administration agreed to reduce the number
of trainers amid friction with Yemeni officials and an alert of an attack by
Al Qaida agents. The two countries are said to have disagreed on the level
and extent of security required for Yemeni facilities.
Brig. Gen. John Rosa, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a
U.S. team of fewer than 20 troops would soon begin a training, advising and
assisting program in Yemen. Rosa did not rule out the arrival of additional
military personnel.
"The folks that are there now are just the initial folks who are setting
up and getting everything ready," Rosa said.
"It'll be a small footprint," Rosa said. "I don't want to characterize a
number, but it'll be small."
