In an Aug. 6 statement, the embassy warned Americans in Yemen to reduce
their profile and vary travel schedules and routes. The statement said the
insurgency threat in Yemen would not ease over the near-term.
On Aug. 5, the embassy held a meeting in Sanaa regarding security in
Yemen. The meeting, attended by American employees and visitors, discussed
Al Qaida operations in Yemen over the last month. This included the suicide
truck bombing in Maarib on July 2 that killed eight Spanish tourists as well
as the discovery of a car bomb in Aden about two weeks later.
"The terrorist threat in Yemen has evolved," the embassy said.
On Wednesday, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh reported that four Al
Qaida insurgents involved in the suicide bombing of the Spanish
tourists were killed. The Al Qaida insurgents were said to have been struck
in a Yemeni air and ground attack.
At the meeting, U.S. security officers said Al Qaida has established an
operational presence in Yemen. The officers said the Al Qaida network has
spread to several parts of the country and was capable of resisting Yemeni
security operations.
"This evolving threat is not temporary, and will be with us for the
foreseeable future," the embassy, in a report on the meeting, said.
Americans in Yemen have been urged to avoid large groups of Westerners,
limit travel and vary their travel routes and schedules. The Americans were
also urged to report any potential security threats to the embassy
immediately.
"The embassy continues to approve official travel outside of Sanaa on a
case-by-case basis," the embassy said.
