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U.S. and Britain closed their embassies in Yemen

The U.S. and Britain closed their embassies in Yemen on Sunday in the face of al-Qaida threats, after both countries announced an increase in aid to the government to fight the terror group linked to the failed attempt to bomb a U.S. airliner on Christmas.

The confrontation with al-Qaida's offshoot in Yemen has gained new urgency since the 23-year-old Nigerian accused in the attack, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, told American investigators he received training and instructions from the group's operatives in Yemen. President Barack Obama said Saturday that the al-Qaida offshoot was behind the attempt.

The UK and US embassies in Yemen have been closed because of an active threat from al Qaeda.

The move comes after Britain and America said they would jointly fund a counter-terrorism unit in Yemen.

Sky's Kitty Logan reports.

By:skynews

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Al-Qaida in Yemen Threatened the United States

clipped from newsmax.com

An Al-Qaida operative in Yemen threatened the United States and said "we are carrying a bomb" in a video posted online four days before the botched Christmas Day attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight.

The video does not contain any clear evidence that the speaker was anticipating Friday's attempt, but it has attracted scrutiny because of reports that the bombing plot may have originated in Yemen.

The 23-year-old Nigerian man accused in the attack claimed he received training and instructions from al-Qaida operatives there, U.S. law enforcement officials said, and a key American lawmaker has said there are "strong suggestions" of a Yemen connection.

Obama’s ‘Civilian Surge’ Strategy for Afghanistan

clipped from www.newsmax.com

The Obama administration is forging ahead with its civilian surge in Afghanistan but some experts say thousands more are needed while others fear the security situation is making the push ineffective.

Obama, due to unveil a revamped strategy on Tuesday that is expected to include some 30,000 to 35,000 more troops, stressed again last week the importance of sending civilians to accompany the military push in Afghanistan.

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Somalia's Interim Leader Backs U.S. Strike on Al-Qaida

Via: NewsMax.com Somalia's interim president say a U.S. strike late Monday on al-Qaida
hideouts in his country was the right thing to do. The air strike
targeted several al-Qaida operatives involved in the 1998 bombings of
the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Speaking to Somali reporters in Mogadishu, interim President
Abdullahi Yusuf said al-Qaida terrorists had been using the lawless
Horn of African country as a safe haven and a base for their operations
for years.

He said he did not blame the United States for taking action against them.

Yusuf says the United States had a right to attack the men, who carried
out the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam
and who are now on the run. He says the same men were probably also
involved in the bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in the Kenyan coastal
town of Mombasa in 2002.