Top US Official: US Ready to Help Yemen in Fight Against al-Qaida
White House officials say John Brennan made that remark in a conversation Saturday with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Officials say Brennan called for close counter-terrorism cooperation between the U.S. and Yemen, including the need to collaborate on the probe into the shipment of two explosive packages from Yemen intended to reach the United States.
The United States has increased its focus on Yemen since a Nigerian man tried to set off explosives on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit last year. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for that failed attack.
The suspect arrested in that attack said he received training from al-Qaida operatives in Yemen.
Yemeni forces stepped up operations against al-Qaida after its Yemen-based wing claimed responsibility for last year’s failed operation.
The United States has designated al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula a terrorist group