WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Washington is committed to helping the government of Yemen overcome a myriad of security threats, a top counter-terrorism official said.
John Brennan, a presidential assistant for counter-terrorism and homeland security, said in a White House statement Monday that Washington committed more than $110 million in economic and humanitarian aid to Yemen in 2009.
Washington is a strong backer of the Yemeni government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Yemen is struggling to control a Shiite rebellion in the north of the country, a secessionist movement in the south and a threat from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemeni branch of the terrorist cabal.
Brennan said that with Washington's continued support, Yemen could stand up to face the many challenges in the country.
UPI
