September 8, 2010:
The U.S. is expanding its training effort inside Yemen. The number of U.S. Army Special Forces trainers will be doubled from 25 to 50. The United States tries to put as few troops inside Yemen as it can, because Arabs are very touchy about non-Moslem troops in Arabia. Anti-government groups make claims of American troops fighting inside Yemen anyway. As long as this is not going on, these lies don't gain much traction. Most American military aid is financial, with the United States giving Yemen over $14 million a month. The government now considers al Qaeda its biggest problem, and a threat to the country as a whole.
In southern Abyan province, where most al Qaeda activity has occurred, a two week search by police resulted in the arrest of fourteen known or suspected al Qaeda members.
The coast guard has increased off shore patrols, to prevent al Qaeda getting people and weapons in, and people out. Hundreds of illegal migrants come across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen each day, and the coast guard is intercepting many of those boats. Ships from the anti-piracy patrol are helping out, and the U.S. is devoting more reconnaissance resources to tracking al Qaeda sea movements in the region.
Saudi Arabian border guard and army commanders admit that they are preparing for another round of fighting with Yemeni Shia rebels. At the moment, the Yemeni rebels are relatively quiet, because of a ceasefire with the government. But these ceasefires never last, and that's what the Saudis are preparing for.
September 6, 2010: The power failed throughout most of southern Yemen, including the capital. Power officials said that it was not a terrorist attack, but a failure of the power distribution grid due to damage from recent heavy rains.
September 5, 2010: In the southern Abyan province, an al Qaeda death squad murdered a pro-government tribal leader.
September 4, 2010: In the southern province of Lahij, terrorists attacked a checkpoint. Four policemen and two terrorists died. The terrorists don't like these checkpoints, as they limit mobility.
September 3, 2010: In the north, a group of tribesmen hijacked a convoy of four trucks carrying aid to a refugee camp for people who had fled the recent fighting with Shia rebels. Police are searching for the thieves. In the south, a clash between troops and al Qaeda gunmen left one soldier dead.
September 1, 2010: In the north, police found weapons and ammunition hidden in a bus, and arrested three men on the bus.
August 29, 2010: In the south, fighting with al Qaeda and separatist tribesmen has left about three dozen dead, most of them terrorists and rebels and at least three civilians.
August 28, 2010: Eritrean pirates seized six Yemeni fishing boats, and 60 Yemeni fishermen.