Military wants to boost aid to Yemen: U.S. officials

The U.S. military wants to significantly increase its equipment and training aid to Yemen in 2011, proposing as much as $250 million, to help the struggling country battle al-Qaeda-linked extremists within its borders, according to US officials.

The increase in funding was recommended well before last week’s failed mail bombings that US officials believe were linked to the terror group’s branch in Yemen, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Military aid to Yemen in 2010 was $155 million, and the 2011 recommendation is expected to be well in excess of USD 200 million, depending on final negotiations among top administration officials.

Despite the fact that the funding recommendation from senior military leaders was made before the mail bomb plot, the Yemen aid proposal underscores the growing terror threat from Yemen and the need to bolster that country’s ability to track and battle militants.

The exact funding has not been decided because Congress has yet to finalise any of the 2011 spending bills.

Any specific foreign military spending recommendations must be approved by the defense secretary in coordination with the secretary of state.

The funding could be further complicated by the Republican election victories if they lead to any changes or cuts to the 2011 military spending bill. Under the proposed legislation, the Pentagon would spend USD 500 million overall on foreign military aid, up from USD 350 million in 2010.

Senior Obama administration officials have said that they are focusing on the broader economic and governmental problems in Yemen, targeting the confluence of factors that led to instability and the rise of the al—Qaida terror group.

The poorest country in the Arab world, Yemen is threatened by plummeting water and oil resources and an exploding population of 22 million. Almost half the population is 15 or younger, and many live on less than USD 2 a day.

In addition to the threat from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the country is battling Shiite Hawthi rebels in the north and a secessionist threat in the south, which has provided fertile ground for al-Qaeda’s recruiting efforts.