By Brigitte L. Nacos
Yemen, probably far more than the Afghan-Pakistani border region, is the major hiding ground for terrorists with actual or virtual ties to Al Qaeda Central. Extremists from a multitude of countries, from neighboring Saudi Arabia to far-away America, have found safe haven in those parts of Yemen that the government cannot control, even if it wanted to.
The words and deeds of Al Qaeda’s brethren in Yemen leave no doubt that they are determined to harm Americans.
Anwar al-Awlaki, formerly an imam at a Virginia mosque and now a leading figure in Yemen’s terrorist community, was in touch with Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan and would-be Christmas bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. And counterterrorism officials here and in the U.K. are convinced that al-Awlaki was the plotter behind the PETN bombs that were sent several weeks ago as cargo from Yemen to Chicago—but intercepted before they could explode aboard planes.
Moreover, Yemen has become the hub for virtual jihadi propaganda and terrorist instruction. Samir Khan, who formerly resided in North Carolina, is now a member of the terrorist community in Yemen, from where he publishes his jihadi magazine Inspire.
If all this is not enough to highlight the need for countering the Yemeni threat, what is?
As I wrote in my previous post, some of the leaked cables will harm, and probably have harmed already, counterterrorism efforts in certain parts of the world, including Yemen.
This weekend, the British Guardian, along with the New York Times and the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel one of WikiLeaks chosen “partners,” published more details about the U.S.-Yemini relationship that will make effective counterterrorism measures against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula far more difficult, if not impossible.
According to the Guardian, “The cables expose for the first time the true scale of America's covert military involvement in the Arab world's poorest nation amid deep concern in Washington that it has become the haven for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap).”
What follows are detailed descriptions of contacts, cooperation, agreement, and disagreement between American and Yemeni government officials.
There is no doubt that the Guardian is aware what consequences these latest revelations may have for the current Yemini leadership and counterterrorism efforts. After all, the Guardian writes, “ In a move that risked outraging local and Arab opinion [emphasis added], Ali Abdullah Saleh told Barack Obama's deputy national security adviser, John Brennan, in September 2009: ‘I have given you an open door to terrorism, so I am not responsible…’ ”
Whether President Saleh and his government survive the revelations or not the counterterrorism efforts against Yemeni jihadis will be far more difficult than in the past.
Freedom of the press is the lifeblood of democracy. But along with that right come responsibilities—especially, when it comes to national security.
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