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  Terrorism Havens: Yemen

  Updated: December 2005

  • Is Yemen a haven for terrorism?
  • Which sorts of terrorists operate in Yemen?
  • Since the bombing of the Cole, has al-Qaeda planned other attacks against targets in Yemen?
  • How big an al-Qaeda presence is there in Yemen?
  • Does al-Qaeda have training camps in Yemen?

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  Is Yemen a haven for terrorism?

  Yes. Yemen, located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a poor Muslim country with a weak central government, armed tribal groups in outlying areas, and porous borders, which makes it fertile ground for terrorists. Its government has tried to help the United States after September 11, and the State Department calls Yemen “an important partner in the campaign against terrorism, providing assistance in the military, diplomatic, and financial arenas.” But experts say that terrorists live in Yemen, sometimes with government approval; Yemen-based corporations are thought to help fund Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist network; and Yemenis affiliated with al-Qaeda have targeted U.S. interests in Yemen, including the October 2000 bombing of the navy destroyer U.S.S. Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden .

  Which sorts of terrorists operate in Yemen?

  According to the State Department, al-Qaeda’s operational structure inYemen has been “weakened and dispersed” since September 11. But Islamists affiliated with al-Qaeda still maintain a presence. Bin Laden’s group is thought to be behind the attack on the Cole, in which seventeen U.S. sailors died and thirty-nine were injured.  Seventeen suspects—some thought to have connections to al-Qaeda—were arrested for the attack, ten of which escaped in 2003. Although al-Qaeda has not formally claimed responsibility for the attack, bin Laden praised those who “destroyed a destroyer that fearsome people fear” on a 2001 videotape.

  Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are recognized legal organizations in Yemen and Hamas maintains offices in the country. Neither group has engaged in any known terrorist activities in Yemen , but conduct fundraising efforts through mosques and other charitable organizations.

  Since the bombing of the Cole, has al-Qaeda planned other attacks against targets in Yemen?

  Yes. In June 2001, local authorities in Yemen arrested eight Yemeni veterans of the 1979-89 Afghan war against the Soviets in connection with a plot to blow up the U.S. embassy in Sanaa, Yemen ’s capital. In July 2002, an accidental explosion that killed two al-Qaeda operatives led to the seizure of 650 pounds of plastic explosives from a Sanaa warehouse. A Kuwaiti citizen suspected of ties to al-Qaeda was arrested in Kuwait and admitted to plotting the October 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker off the Yemeni coast. Three American missionaries were killed in December 2002 in a southern Yemeni village, but it is unclear if the alleged killer, a local Islamist militant, had any links to al-Qaeda.

  How big an al-Qaeda presence is there in Yemen?

  It’s impossible to say precisely, but dozens of al-Qaeda operatives, including senior officials, may be at large in Yeme , experts say. Yemen was second only to Saudi Arabia in being the source of soldiers for the international Islamist brigade that fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan and that gave birth to al-Qaeda. Thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of Yemenis fought in Afghanistan or trained in al-Qaeda’s camps there. Yemeni officials say that not every Yemeni veteran of the war in Afghanistan is an al-Qaeda member; nevertheless, Yemeni prisoners make up one of the largest national contingents of detainees at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba .

  Does al-Qaeda have training camps in Yemen?

  Al-Qaeda reportedly had several major training camps in Yemen until the late 1990s, when the Yemeni government uprooted them. U.S. officials say there may be a few smaller ones left.

   

  Weigh in on this issue by emailing CFR.org.

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