Al Qaida has again warned of a major strike
in the United States.
The Al Qaida warning was relayed via the Tajamu Reform Party of Yemen in a statement proposing terms of reconciliation with the government which has been under pressure to cooperate with the United States in the war on terrorism.
"A major strike, a big event will take place in America soon," the
statement said.
In its statement, Al Qaida termed Sanaa as the second most cooperative
partner in the U.S.-led war against the Islamic insurgency movement. The
group said Pakistan was the chief ally of the United States.
On Jan. 24, Yemen acknowledged that it cooperated with the United States
in the assassination of Abu Sinan Ali Al Harithi, the leading Al Qaida
insurgent in Yemen, in December 2002, Middle East Newsline reported.
Yemeni Vice President Abbed Rabbo
Mansour said Yemen turned to the CIA for help in tracking and killing Al
Harithi, who was targeted by a Predator unmanned air vehicle armed with an anti-tank missile.
The Tajamu Reform Party has been regarded as an ally of Osama Bin Laden, whose family
comes from Yemen.
"The branch of the organization in Yemen promised the state ø as a
goodwill gesture ø that the initiative will be favoured by Sheik Osama Bin
Laden or one of the senior leaders of the global Al Qaida organization,
through a communique or statement in which the subject will be referred
implicitly or explicitly," a statement released by the so-called Yemeni
branch of Al Qaida and published in Al Sahwanet, the mouthpiece of the
Islamic-oriented opposition party, said.
In its purported statement, Al Qaida offered to reconcile with Yemen.
Bin Laden was said to have offered a deal to end attacks against Western
interests in Yemen in exchange for allowing insurgents freedom of movement.
Yemen has been under heavy U.S. and Saudi pressure to cooperate in
operations against Al Qaida.
Al Qaida, the statement said, wanted Yemen to allow Islamic insurgents
to fight the United States and Israel in such countries as Afghanistan, Iraq
and the Palestinian Authority. Yemen, however, was said to have rejected the
proposal.
[In Kabul, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan predicted that
Bin Laden would be captured in 2004. "Their day has ended and this year
will decisively sound the death knell of their movements in Afghanistan,"
Lt. Gen. David Barno said during a ceremony on Tuesday.]