Fears of Yemen turning into another Afghanistan

Source: Washington Post

SAN'A, Yemen -- The cave tucked in the remote Saudi mountains near the Yemeni border was clearly a way station for Islamic militants, Saudi police say, pointing to the stock of guns and ammunition, nooks for holding hostages and cameras for filming them.

It even had buckets of sugar, rice and flour, as well as boxes of charcoal, candles, pasta and beans _ supplies for a long stay by al-Qaida fighters moving across the border to prepare attacks in the kingdom.

The discovery in early April reinforced a growing fear in Saudi Arabia: that Yemen could become another Afghanistan right on its doorstep, an out-of-control state where al-Qaida runs free and exports violence into its neighbor.

The United States shares the Saudis' fear. Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, told Congress in April that the weakness of Yemen's government provides al-Qaida a safe haven and that terror groups could "threaten Yemen's neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states."


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/03/AR2009050301182.html

My cousin lost in one of her manic phases went to Yemen with the kids and lost custody She tried unsuccessfully to retrieve them twice. She was lucky she did not end up in prison. She would have here. They merely deported her. Everybody had told her emphatically not to go to Yemen. If she had to see him to find another country to meet.

She did live for a time there. Her husbands family considered themselves educated upper middle class by their standards but the family, her family (5), her brother-in law (5) and their elderly parents lived in a two bedroom home. They had no AC.

The grandparents looked after the grandchildren and the younger adults all worked. They did have a car and they traveled some while they were still together.

She managed to travel around freely because she wore a burka and traveled with her "brother" a very brave friend.

I sure hope things do not get any worse.

enough on our plate?

And I can't imagine them doing all the fighting themselves. Should be a particularly nasty war.