'US intervention in Yemen could strengthen al-Qaeda'

[joeblow]

'US intervention in Yemen could strengthen al-Qaeda'
Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:16:11 GMT

http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=1 ... =351020206



A senior Yemeni official has warned that any military intervention by the United States in the country to fight al-Qaeda will not go as planned and to the contrary would make the terrorist network stronger.

"Any intervention or direct [military] action by the United States could strengthen the al-Qaeda network and not weaken it," Rashed Al-Alimi, the deputy prime minister for defense and security affairs, said on Thursday.

"Our position is clear; we will fight and chase the al-Qaeda group depending on Yemeni forces and security agencies," he added.

The comments came amid reports that Washington is reviewing targets for possible strike on Yemeni soil in retaliation for a failed Christmas Day attack on a Detroit-bound airliner.

Two senior US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in late December that the preparation is aimed at being ready with options for the White House, should US President Barack Obama order a retaliatory strike. They added that the effort is to see whether the targets can be specifically linked to the planning for the airliner incident.

"US special operations forces and intelligence agencies, and their Yemeni counterparts, are working to identify potential al-Qaeda targets in Yemen," one of the officials said.

MP/SAR/MMN