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Yemen to Strengthen Efforts to Fight Al-Qaida

   VOA News 25 December 2010

   Yemen  says  it plans to set up anti-terrorism forces in the country's
   restive south to fight al-Qaida's branch in the country.
   Yemen's  government  said  Saturday elite anti-terrorism units will be
   deployed  in  the  provinces  of Shabwa, Abyan, Hadramawt and Marib to
   combat al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
   The  announcement comes after the United States urged Yemen to step up
   its fight against al-Qaida militants in Yemen.
   U.S. counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan made the appeal in a phone
   call Thursday to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
   Brennan  urged  Yemen's  president  to  take "forceful action" against
   al-Qaida  to  stop  it  from  carrying  out attacks in Yemen and other
   countries, including the United States.
   One year ago, a Nigerian man with Yemeni links failed in an attempt to
   blow  up  a  U.S.-bound  passenger  plane.   Al-Qaida  in the Arabian
   Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attempted attack.
   Yemen has since intensified its campaign against al-Qaida.
   But  the top U.S. military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, said recently
   al-Qaida's  branch in Yemen is a "serious" threat to the United States
   and has become substantially more dangerous over the past two years.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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