No al-Qaeda command in east Yemen Marib, Yemeni official

MARIB, Feb. 08 (Saba)- A senior Yemeni official has denied the existence of an al-Qaeda command in the eastern Yemeni province of Marib, but he said that al-Qaeda militants in Marib were ‘’in a small number and not as exaggerated’’.

"Their number is little in Marib. Due to the desert and geographic nature of the province, these elements come from other provinces and other countries, using it as a resting place or a connecting link between provinces and some neighbouring countries", the governor of the desert Marib province Naji Ali al-Zayidi highlighted.

Al-Zayidi added that the Yemeni tribes have started to more carefully see the risks caused by al-Qaeda militants.

In an interview with The Dubai-based pan-Arab satellite television news channel Al-Arabiya on February 05, al-Zayidi said that when intensified security measures were taken against suspected al-Qaeda terrorist, they left Marib and went to other provinces of Yemen or returned to Saudi Arabia.

"They do not have permanent training camps in Marib. They are present, however, security services continue to pursue them", he said, adding that the local authorities and tribal chiefs of Marib were united with the security services in pursuing them.

Asked about the number of foreign militants in Marib, al-Zayidi admitted that they were there, confirming they were not many and "they are not present permanently. They are present temporarily. They exploit the nature of the desert linking Marib with Saudi Arabia".

"Al-Qaeda members in Marib are from Saudi Arabia, Libya, Pakistan, Iran, Somalia, and other countries. They come and go but Saudis may be present due to tribal relations between the inhabitants on both sides".

Al-Zayidi affirmed that some tribesmen in Marib have joined al-Qaeda.

"Yes, there are some tribesmen [joined al-Qaeda]. They are in the dozens and not the hundreds".

"They [al-Qaeda] took advantage of Yemen's strategic geographic location as it overlooks the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea and has a desert that links various parts. They also took advantage of the Bedouin nature of the area," he explained.

Asked if the threat posed by al-Qaeda spreads further in the country, the Yemeni official said that that will influence not only Yemen but also the neighbouring countries and foreign interests.

"The situation requires cooperation to control seas and deserts and to exchange intelligence to pursue these elements",

The Yemeni governor stressed also that the desert region of his province was used by drug smugglers, arms dealers and al-Qaeda elements.

"The desert region is open and we do not have full control of it".

In order to control this open region, al-Zayidi called for comprehensive development support.

"We in Marib want more and more projects. We want to find jobs for the young people, we want a network of roads and we want to develop education".

He pointed out that the Yemeni government has worked hard and spent much on the security services, "but frankly, we still need support because Yemen has an important geographic location".