BUB: Yemen and HOA

The Battle Update Brief on Yemen and the Horn of Africa

As The Guardian can so eloquently put it, the entire region around the Red Sea is linked.

In Yemen, Somalia and beyond, the lawless, strife-torn region has provided disturbing evidence that its myriad problems cannot be ignored – and that the west must see the connections between them all

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The Yemenis are poo-poo'ing the idea of direct US action in their country.

It was a most extraordinary gathering. The group, all men in their 50s or early 60s, has met twice a week, almost every week, since they were at school together. They take turns hosting the meeting, usually at their homes, and sit around chewing the fat for hours.

They also chew qat – a mildly narcotic leaf – as is the wont of most Yemeni men.

These men, however, are among Yemen's elite: heads of corporations and university departments, deputy ministers, a senior security official. The sight of them chewing qat, cheeks bulging as they hold the wad inside their mouths as long as possible, is an exotic backdrop to this rare glimpse into Yemeni power.

Reclining on cushions at one end of a sitting area that can accommodate 50, these eight men come from different walks of life but share a common perspective on the way their country is being perceived. They resent U.S. efforts to make Yemen the scapegoat for American intelligence failings that led to the near-bombing of a passenger airliner on Christmas Day and argue that they don't need, nor will they ever accept, U.S. military intervention in their campaign against al-Qaeda.

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And Yemen's president is willing to talk with Al Qaedians who turn themselves in. Kinda like Saudi Arabia was, before they 'renouncees' went back into the fight.

Yemen's president said he is ready to open a dialogue with al-Qaida fighters who lay down their weapons and renounce violence, despite U.S. pressure to crack down on the terror group.

The United States has complained in the past that Yemen struck deals with al-Qaida fighters and freed them from prison after they promised not to engage in terrorism. Some later broke those promises and are now believed to be active in al-Qaida's offshoot in Yemen.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh vowed that his government is "determined to stand up to the challenges" of al-Qaida and that his security forces will track down as many al-Qaida fighters as possible among those who refuse to stop violence.

But he left the door open for negotiations.

"Dialogue is the best way ... even with al-Qaida, if they set aside their weapons and return to reason," he said in an interview with Abu Dhabi TV aired late Saturday. "We are ready to reach understanding with anyone who renounces violence and terrorism."

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As Somalia's new nominal head of the military survives an assassination attempt,

Somalia's military chief escaped an assassination attempt Thursday after a roadside bomb explosion against his vehicle left at least one of his bodyguards dead and five others wounded, the police said.

Mohamed Gele Kahiye, the newly appointed army chief, was not in his vehicle when the remotely controlled bombs ripped through it as it passed along a main road in government controlled part of Mogadishu.

"Fortunately the commander was not in the vehicle when the explosion occurred. One of his bodyguards was killed and five others were also wounded in the incident," Abdulahi Hassan Barise, spokesman for the Somali police told Xinhua.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the latest attack on the Somali army chief, but Islamist rebels opposed to the government often carry out pre-emptive attacks on senior security and political officials of the government whenever the government is preparing for a major offensive.

The Somali government has lately been restructuring its security forces, many of whom have recently received training aboard while top security officials were changed as the government says its is preparing for a major assault to retake the capital city, Mogadishu.

Islamist groups have also been making their own preparations and paraded hundreds of newly trained fighters and armory in their bases in Mogadishu.

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By: Brant