When reading this article and with the U.S.’s continued occupation in Iraq – what if any progress have U.S. and coalition forces made in preventing terrorist attacks like this one; and in calming radical Islamic extremists?

Sade San A Jong

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The government in Pakistan has left the military basically to operate itself while the Pakistan’s People Party (PPP) is busy cracking down on the financial markets that influence politics. The head of the Awami National Party (ANP), which leads the government in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, was the target of a recent Taliban attack. Leader, Asfanyar Wali subsequently fled to Islamabad for protection, until he left for Europe. Before his return, he was sure to notify the Taliban, telling them he was not involved with the “War on Terror.” The desire of Pakistan to appear separate from the US is another reason for the new path of contact for the two countries.

Unlike the US, who has a strict intolerance for the conservative student militias, the Saudis are liberal in this respect. Although Saudi Arabia may be just as tough on al-Qaeda, they are on talking terms with them directly and through mediators because Saudis feel more threatened by them. This channel of communication, not possessed by the US, has allowed Saudis to solve their problem of militancy, which only three years ago was a serious threat to the monarchy.

Brandie Gordon

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The UK Border Agency applied to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission to have Qatada’s bail revoked. The Commission is expected to make a decision today. He has been convicted twice in Jordan for conspiracy to bomb two hotels in Amman in 1998.

Kasey Malcoun

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The Iraqi government also claims that, as its anti-terrorism efforts have damaged the lines of communication between Al Qaeda commanders and fighters, members of the group will most likely flee the country, rendered ineffective. Maliki warned neighboring countries to be on the look out for operatives seeking refuge inside their borders, especially in nations like Syria and Morocco where Al Qaeda has purportedly established cells before.

The end of Al Qaeda in Iraq would be a watershed moment for the Iraqi people and the entire war on terrorism, but it remains to be seen whether this will actually occur, as the terrorist network has proved resilient in the past.

Haley Hackendale

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It has been claimed that the UN Secretary General ordered UN offices in Yemen to keep all essential employees at home and to send non-essential employees out of Yemen, relocating in Egypt or Jordan. This order comes in the aftermath of al-Qaeda sending a threatening message to the UN’s office in Sana’a. Given the recent bombing of the UN in Algeria, Yemen is taking this threat very seriously .

Jenna Hootstein

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Dennis Gallagher

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Just about a week after the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, details of another attempt hit the international news. On September 17, 2008 it was reported that in Yemen’s capital city Sana, terrorist group, al-Qaeda, had tried to storm the US Embassy compound and kill everyone inside. Yemen’s security forces were able to thwart the attack. Regardless, 16 people were killed (none of whom were Americans).

The attack signals great problems specifically within Yemen’s borders and generally in the international sphere. Firstly, al-Qaeda’s gaining ground in Yemen has produced fears that the US and its allies are losing the War on Terror. Within Yemen itself, authorities commented that the attack came as retaliation against Yemeni President, Ali Abdallah Salih. Officials believe the terrorist plot might have been a response to the “recent raids by Yemeni security forces against al-Qaeda, in which senior militant Hamza al-Quaiti was killed. Militants had also threatened more attacks if Yemeni authorities fail to free detainees.”

The September 17 terror plan, according to an unidentified source familiar with the government report, claimed the attack involved substantial and abundant weaponry, planning, and money. The timing was significant–supposedly designed to catch security operatives at the embassy off-guard after they had woken up early for the “sohour meal before beginning the day’s Ramadan fast”. This illustrates how such terrorists play on cultural and religious values and traditions in carrying out their plans.

The terrorists allegedly drove up to the embassy in the guise of Yemeni personnel. The attack, had it not been thwarted, would have been disastrous. For, “the terrorists’ aim, according to officials, was to use the vehicle as a bomb blitz to blow apart the heavily fortified front gate about 200 yards away. According to the plan, a second vehicle loaded with commandos armed with automatic weapons and grenades would speed through the breach and enter the embassy’s chancery building located another 200 yards inside the compound”. The embassy’s security guards luckily did not let the terrorists’ first vehicle into the property, thus foiling the plan.

Yemen has been the home to many terrorist attacks. One of al-Qaeda’s first terrorist acts took place at two hotels in the port of Aden in 1992 (aimed at US troops in route to Somalia). Also, in 2002 the group attacked the U.S.S. Cole in Aden’s harbor, killing 17 U.S. servicemen. The US embassy in Yemen is a common target for the terrorists. Just three months prior to 9/11, eight people were arrested for planning to bomb the facility.

The most recent attack also raises issues that link Yemen, the US, and the Middle East and the West in general in an intricate relationship. The US sees Yemen as a necessary ally in its War on Terror. Yet the US has traditionally found fault with Yemen’s “lax” attitude to criminals, particularly “sentencing hardened militants to short prison terms and freeing repatriated Guantanamo Bay detainees.”

The attack illustrates how nations at opposite ends of the world are tied together in their goal of fighting global terrorism. However, different motivating factors and ideologies affect the ways in which nations carry out their work. How countries interact to deal with and fight a common cause such as terrorism is an interesting study in sociology, political science and international relations.

Jenna Hootstein

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This is another bad turn for US-Iraqi relations and increases calls for US troops to phase out of operations.  While this incident was part of a greater offensive mission, such errors increase the strain on the military relationship.

Dennis Gallagher

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