Yemen is trying to protect against al Qaeda. The US military has been helping with this. A military move of forces into Yemen occurred months ago, in which the US agreed to help Yemen train against al Qaeda. Small numbers of military personnel have been brought into Yemen again after a small period of suspension. The Pentagon stated that the military move of personnel was going to happen due to recent bomb issues. There was a plot foiled in Yemen that the CIA announced at the beginning of the week. It was stated that a new type of airplane bomb was being created and it was intended to be used by a suicide bomber getting on a plane in Yemen and heading to the US.
The numbers of trainers and where they have been relocated to from nearby US military posts is not being released in order to keep the trainers safe and those that they are training safe. The Yemen military feels that there is an increased threat from al Qaeda, although other countries are starting to see reductions of activity since the introduction of the US help. It seems likely that many al Qaeda members move around, and when there are hot zones of military ready to fight against them they move to an area of lesser threat. Whether or not this is really the case, what is certain is that Yemen has asked the US for help in terms of training its military so as to protect the country a little better.
Lance Grooms
