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Yemen stepping up its war on al-Qaida

SANAA, Yemen, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Yemen is "bringing the fight to al-Qaida," a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa said Saturday.

Mohammed Albasha told CNN the government is establishing four new branches of its counterterrorism force, in Mareb, Shabwa, Abyan and Hadramawt.

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"This is the next phase in the war on terrorism. We are bringing the fight to al- Qaida," he said.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, AQAP, based in Yemen, is believed to be responsible for the attempted bombing of a flight as it landed in Detroit year ago and a later series of attempted parcel bombings.

The Pentagon is spending $150 million to train and equip Yemen's security forces to fight al-Qaida, including helicopters, planes and Special Forces training.

Last week, presidential aide John Brennan said AQAP is "increasingly active" in seeking recruits, even in the United States.

"Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is now the most operationally active node of the al-Qaida network," he said.

The While House said Brennan called Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh Thursday and emphasized "the importance of taking forceful action against al-Qaida."

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