Sunday, January 03, 2010

DTN News: Britain, U.S. To Jointly Fight Yemeni-Based Terrorists, Over 70% Of Americans In Favor Of U.S. troops In Yemen – Poll

DTN News: Britain, U.S. To Jointly Fight Yemeni-Based Terrorists, Over 70% Of Americans In Favor Of U.S. troops In Yemen – Poll *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) - January 04, 2010: Britain and the U.S. have agreed to join forces in a fight against Islamist groups in Yemen, BBC said. The TV channel quoted Downing Street officials as saying the two countries would jointly fund a counter-terrorism police unit in the Asian state. The decision was taken following an alleged Christmas Day bomb airline attack over Detroit. A 23-year-old Nigerian national, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a passenger on board an A330 passenger jet bound from Amsterdam to Detroit on December 25, tried to blow up the plane that was carrying some 300 people. He was detained and charged with attempted terrorist attack. CNN said quoting a senior U.S. government source Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, met with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen on Saturday. Saleh reportedly offered more support for U.S. counterterrorism efforts and pledged to continue providing assistance for the investigation into the attempted airline bombing. U.S. President Barack Obama said on Saturday the bomb suspect was apparently trained by a Yemen-based Al Qaeda offshoot. Abdulmutallab also allegedly claimed after his arrest that he acted on instructions from Al Qaeda. U.S. security officials have confirmed that his name was on the U.S. list of terrorist suspects. Al Qaeda said in a statement posted on radical Islamist websites the attack carried out by its "brother" was retaliation for alleged U.S. strikes on Yemeni soil in December. On Monday, Obama pledged a harsh response to terrorist attacks. "Those who would slaughter innocent men, women and children must know the United States will do more than simply strengthen our defenses," he said.
Over 70% of Americans would favor sending U.S. troops to Yemen to combat Al Qaeda militants, a poll posted on the FOXNews.com website said. With over 20,000 people taking part in the poll, 71% voted that "the problem is not going away," and "troops need to be sent there to eliminate Al Qaeda and the threat it poses to national security." Meanwhile, 23% voted against saying that "the U.S. military is already engaged in a costly war in Afghanistan," and "sending soldiers to Yemen would jeopardize that mission." Six percent of the poll said they are "undecided" on the issue. The United States and Britain announced on Sunday they had closed their embassies in the Yemeni capital due to the threat of an Al Qaeda attack. The decision was taken following an attempt to blow up an airliner over Detroit on December 25. A 23-year-old Nigerian national, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a passenger on board an A330 passenger jet bound from Amsterdam to Detroit on December 25, tried to blow up the plane that was carrying some 300 people. He was detained and charged with attempted terrorist attack. Al Qaeda said in a statement posted on radical Islamist websites the attack carried out by its "brother" was retaliation for U.S. strikes on Yemeni soil in December. Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, met with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen on Saturday as part of the plan to expand bilateral military and intelligence cooperation to increase pressure on militants operating in the country.

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