Tuesday, April 26, 2011

They miss the Yemeni tyrant already

"Classified documents from Guantanamo Bay that were released to news organizations by WikiLeaks indicate U.S. officials repeatedly returned detainees to their home countries in hopes they would be incarcerated or be rehabilitated into society. Detainees returned to Saudi Arabia and Yemen have proved the most problematic. Now, with Yemen roiled by street protests and political upheaval, U.S. intelligence officials worry that the former Guantanamo detainees will seek to capitalize on the turmoil to plot attacks against their former captors and other targets.  "It's just a big frickin' mess over there," said a U.S. intelligence official, who was not authorized to speak in public.  U.S. counter-terrorism officials have relied on cooperation from President Abdullah Ali Saleh's regime to battle Al Qaeda's presence. But with public pressure mounting daily for Saleh's swift ouster, the resultant chaos could produce an even larger opening for anti-Western militants.  Al Qaeda "will be more prolific in recruiting, and it could become easier to launch attacks from Yemen," said the official. "That unrest could have the most impact on our domestic security.""