WASHINGTON – The US President Barack Obama administration plans to couple expanded military support for Yemen to fight al-Qaeda with an economic assistance programme aimed at curbing the appeal of Islamists, officials said. In addition to military co-operation that includes US training and other assistance for Yemen's counterterrorism forces, the Pentagon is working with the Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on a development and reconstruction package targeting young men and those who live in tribal and rural areas. Washington hopes long-term economic development will eventually help erode al-Qaeda's appeal among the 50 per cent of the Yemeni population that is under the age of 15. US officials describe Yemen's central government as "inefficient" with little sway outside major population centres, leaving large tracts of territory open to al-Qaeda and other groups. US intelligence agencies estimate al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is composed of several hundred operatives. "AQAP ... is not merely a threat to Yemen, but to regional and international security as well," a defence official said. The Pentagon and the CIA have sought to keep their expanding roles in Yemen quiet, in part to avert a public backlash against the government, which, besides al-Qaeda, is battling Shi'ite rebels in the north and faces separatist sentiment in the south. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday told Yemen's Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi the US would help foster economic development and battle terrorism in Yemen. "Our two nations are working together as partners to improve Yemen's capacity to deliver vital services, control its borders, conduct effective counterterrorist activities, improve services to the people of Yemen," Clinton said at a news conference with al-Qirbi. Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels said on Friday that Saudi fighter jets made a series of bombing raids on Thursday in northern Yemen aimed at positions held by their fighters. The rebels reported about a dozen people were killed by the raids and a number of homes destroyed. In their statement, the Houthis said 750 rockets were also fired into the region.
