US Shouldn't Get Involved in Yemen: Experts

 

Jan, 05, 09 (Hamsayeh.Net) - US Secretary of States Hillary Clinton in a meeting with visiting Qatari Prime Minister in Washington said of dangers posed by the Al Qaeda network in Yemen particularly at the time when the Yemeni governments is involved in several major conflicts inside its borders.

 

Clinton said the situation in Yemen poses a threat to the entire world. She noted that with the ongoing civil war, things seems to just get worse and worse with more players getting involved. She was referring to the ongoing civil war between the Yemeni government and the Houthi fighters of northern region close to Saudi Arabian border, drawing the latter into the conflict since last month. Saudis  have been conducting air raids on Houthi villages ever since they entered the foray.

 

The US and UK government voiced support for Yemeni government and promised to provide all necessary assistances to strengthen the government in Sana’a, the Yemeni Capital. The US doubled its financial aid to Yemen from the current $70 million a year.

 

Some Yemeni experts believe the US should not get too involved on the pretext of going after Al Qaeda in that country. Riad kahwaj told Al Jazeera of any engagement in Yemen must be long-term. ‘Al-Qaeda in Yemen are Yemenis, they're not foreign fighters ... They have sympathy and support from tribal leaders in parts of Yemen, which is enabling them to move around and function freely,’ he told Al Jazeera.

 

 ‘You need to turn the environment against them, you need to make the environment against their beliefs and ideology, otherwise military strikes will have very limited results.’ He opined.