Obama: No "Boots on the Ground" in Yemen
President Barack Obama says he has no intention of sending American troops to Yemen or Somalia.
Mr. Obama told People magazine in an interview to be published Friday that he still believes the center of al Qaeda activity is along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"I never rule out any possibility in a world that is this complex," Mr. Obama said. However, he said, "in countries like Yemen, in countries like Somalia, I think working with international partners is most effective at this point."
Terrorism concerns are rising in Yemen, at the bottom of the Arabian Peninsula, and in Somalia, critically located along key global shipping routes to Mideast oil fields.
U.S. officials say they believe the suspect in the Christmas Day Detroit airliner attack received al Qaeda training in Yemen.
"I have no intention of sending U.S. boots on the ground in these regions," President Obama said.
People magazine on Sunday released a transcript of the interview conducted last Friday.
Meanwhile, Yemen's president said he is ready to open a dialogue with al Qaeda fighters who lay down their weapons and renounce violence, despite U.S. pressure to crack down on the terror group.
The United States has complained in the past that Yemen struck deals with al Qaeda fighters and freed them from prison after they promised not to engage in terrorism. Some later broke those promises and are now believed to be active in al Qaeda's offshoot in Yemen.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh vowed that his government is "determined to stand up to the challenges" of al Qaeda and that his security forces will track down as many al Qaeda fighters as possible among those who refuse to stop violence.
© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Mr. Obama told People magazine in an interview to be published Friday that he still believes the center of al Qaeda activity is along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"I never rule out any possibility in a world that is this complex," Mr. Obama said. However, he said, "in countries like Yemen, in countries like Somalia, I think working with international partners is most effective at this point."
Terrorism concerns are rising in Yemen, at the bottom of the Arabian Peninsula, and in Somalia, critically located along key global shipping routes to Mideast oil fields.
U.S. officials say they believe the suspect in the Christmas Day Detroit airliner attack received al Qaeda training in Yemen.
"I have no intention of sending U.S. boots on the ground in these regions," President Obama said.
People magazine on Sunday released a transcript of the interview conducted last Friday.
Meanwhile, Yemen's president said he is ready to open a dialogue with al Qaeda fighters who lay down their weapons and renounce violence, despite U.S. pressure to crack down on the terror group.
The United States has complained in the past that Yemen struck deals with al Qaeda fighters and freed them from prison after they promised not to engage in terrorism. Some later broke those promises and are now believed to be active in al Qaeda's offshoot in Yemen.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh vowed that his government is "determined to stand up to the challenges" of al Qaeda and that his security forces will track down as many al Qaeda fighters as possible among those who refuse to stop violence.
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The public needs to demand full disclosure and accountability for all CIA sponsored wars that are planned or that exist at this time, otherwise, we may see a repeat of the Bush-Cheney house of dark secrets that will blow up in our faces.
I am opposed to secret wars, since I have seen them routinely become messy and require huge outlays of resources to clean up.
The end of secret wars is a necessity for this country to be free of surprises and the complacency that was prevalent before the 911 attack.
It is far better for the public to know all the aspects of national security intimately, than to set us up for another 911 style surprise.
Secret wars were supposed to end after the Cold War was over, but I can see that this dangerous habit has drained our resources by committing the taxpayers to pay for expensive operations hidden in a classified budget, and yielding pitiful results.
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Retarded Brazilian anti American...
But then, in the same article:
Terrorism concerns are rising in Yemen, at the bottom of the Arabian Peninsula, and in Somalia, critically located along key global shipping routes to Mideast oil fields.
U.S. officials say they believe the suspect in the Christmas Day Detroit airliner attack received al Qaeda training in Yemen.
Huh?