Al Qaeda regroups in Yemen

Washington Post:

Nearly a decade after the bombing of the USS Cole, a combination of U.S. and Yemeni missteps, deep mistrust and a lack of political will have allowed al-Qaeda militants here to regroup and pose a major threat to the United States, according to Yemeni and U.S. officials, diplomats and analysts.

The U.S. failures have included a lack of focus on al-Qaeda's growing stature, insufficient funding to and cooperation with Yemen, and a misunderstanding of the Middle Eastern country's complex political terrain, Yemeni officials and analysts said. U.S. policies in the region, they said, often alienated top Yemeni officials and did little to address the root causes of militancy.

Frustrated American officials say Yemen never made fighting al-Qaeda a top priority, which has stalled large-scale U.S. support.

These problems, which ultimately helped enable al-Qaeda militants here to plot an attack on a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day, have forced the United States to open a new front in its anti-terrorism efforts. It is part of a largely invisible war, stretching from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa, waged from the skies and from high-tech intelligence centers, with unmanned aircraft, CIA operatives and vivid satellite images serving as the weapons of choice.

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What is really happening is that al Qaeda has had a series of setbacks and defeats that has forced it to find new sanctuaries from which to operate. After al Qaeda was defeated in Iraq by US and Iraqi forces it switched much of its efforts to Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is in trouble there too.

The Pakistan army has pushed al Qaeda and its allies out of some parts of the country and the UAV Hellfire strikes have killed much of its mid and upper level leadership.

With Af-Pak becoming too hot, it tried to reestablish its efforts in Yemen where it was aided greatly by Gitmo alumni because of efforts to close that facility starting with the Bush administration. The success of the Saudis in driving the al Qaeda terrorist out of that country also added to the mix. Many also came from Somalia.

Yemen was not that cooperative in dealing with the Cole attack and it wound up releasing those who were caught. Al Qaeda operatives that were not released, often escaped from jail.

Strategy Page also sees the build up in Yemen as a necessity after failures in Iran and Af-Pak.