Highlights
– Five suspected al-Qaeda in Yemen militants carried out a failed attack on US Embassy in Yemen
– Small bomb explodes in port city of Aden one day later
– Yemen becoming more than a financial hub for terrorism
– Al-Qaeda will continue to threaten and carry out attacks in Yemen in the near to mid-term
Al-Qaeda in Yemen (AQY), one of the Arabian Peninsula branches of the al-Qaeda core network, has increased its activity and operations in Yemen in recent months. The latest attack occurred on March 18, 2008, when five suspected militants targeted the US Embassy in Yemen with three mortar rounds from the rooftop of a nearby building. However, the militants failed to reach their target and struck a girls’ high school next door instead, killing one security guard and injuring 13 girls, three of them seriously . Moreover, one day after the failed attack, a small bomb exploded in a popular market town in the southern port city of Aden, resulting in no casualties .
Although it is unclear whether AQY was behind the small bomb explosion or whether the two incidents are related, it is certain that acts of terror have significantly increased in Yemen in recent months, specifically against Western targets. More concerning is the potential for Yemen to become a terrorist operations hotspot in addition to its existing reputation for financing terrorism. The affects of both will continue to negatively impact Yemen’s tourism sector.
Western Targeting Impacts Tourism
In recent months AQY has carried out a number of attacks centered on one theme, the persistent targeting of Westerners. Previously, AQY killed two Belgium tourists and their Yemeni driver on January 18, 2008, as militants ambushed a convoy in the Wadi Daw’an region . Two days prior to the ambush, AQY released an online statement threatening to attack Westerners unless fellow militants were released from prisons inside Yemen (Previous Repot). More recently, the group attempted to attack a major oil pipeline on February 22, 2008 .
Moreover, these concentrated attacks targeting Westerners and Western interests have significantly affected Yemen’s tourism industry. In the midst of a chain of attacks, Yemen has engaged in several negotiations with foreign investors seeking to invest in the country’s suffering tourism sector. However, the recent terrorist events have put a damper on outstanding investment proposals (Previous Report). With AQY’s previous threats and attacks characterized by attacking Westerners and/or Western-related business in Yemen, it is strongly anticipated that the country’s tourism industry will continue to suffer in the near to mid-term.
Terror Operations and Financing Hub
This month’s attacks against the US Embassy and the market explosion outside a bank in Aden has called into question Yemen’s previously held reputation as primarily a terrorist finance hub for al-Qaeda core and similar-minded global terrorist organizations. Although Yemen has been a popular site for attacks in the past, the frequency with which AQY has carried out operations in recent months may cause counterterrorism and security officials to include Yemen in their list of operational hot zones.
AQY’s attack on the US Embassy may have failed this time, however, AQY’s capabilities are improving, thus it can be assumed follow-on attempts to wage attacks against Westerners and Western interests are likely to increase in the near to mid-term. To this end, Yemen’s aspirations for long-term foreign investment, though likely to continue, will seemingly be impeded in the near to mid-term.
