Anti-Terror Training OKd for Yemen Troops

WASHINGTON —  President Bush has agreed to Yemen’s request to provide U.S. troops to train its military in combating terrorists, officials said Friday.

The plan represents another step by the Bush administration to extend the war on terror beyond Afghanistan, where about 5,000 American troops, helped by an array of surveillance aircraft, are still hunting Osama bin Laden and other leaders of the Al Qaeda terrorist network.

Washington has been pushing Yemen--birthplace of Bin Laden’s father--for greater cooperation against terrorism since 17 American sailors were killed in an October 2000 attack on the destroyer USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden. U.S. officials believe that some Al Qaeda fighters have found refuge in Yemen.

An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Friday that Bush had given the go-ahead to dispatch U.S. troops to train Yemen’s military to combat terrorists.

A senior defense official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the White House’s National Security Council empowered Gen. Tommy Franks, who is responsible for U.S. military operations in that part of the world, to work out details with Yemen. The official said U.S. Army Special Forces troops would get the duty.

The official said small amounts of military equipment--most likely radios for field communication--probably would be provided along with the training.

In Yemen, a government official said Friday that as many as 100 U.S. troops, including security experts and intelligence officers, will be sent to the country soon. He did not say when troops would arrive, but said forces will enter Yemen at different times in groups of 20 to 30 people, who will stay for 15 to 20 days.

At the Pentagon, another senior official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the U.S. assistance would go beyond anti-terror training to include equipment and advice.

During a visit to Iowa on Friday, Bush commented on the prospect of helping Yemen, but offered no specifics. He said he made it clear to Yemeni leaders that “we expect results” against terrorists there.

“And the Yemeni government is responding,” Bush said. “I’m not going to talk about ongoing operations, but I will tell you wherever we find an Al Qaeda presence, we will work with the government to root them out. In other words, this war against terror is far broader than Afghanistan.”

Air Force Brig. Gen. John Rosa, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Al Qaeda terrorists may be in Yemen. He called it a likely refuge for those who fled Afghanistan under U.S. attack.

On Feb. 11 in Yemen, Franks said the United States did not expect to deploy combat troops to Yemen but probably would train Yemen’s military in counter-terror tactics.