USA assassinates Yemeni citizens without trial or jury
Yemen-USA, Politics, 11/7/2002

Yemen, which is still under the shock of killing 6 members of al-Qaida organization on the ground of an attack said to be by the CIA, has urged its citizens who were driven to this organization ( al-Qaida) to give up violence, while some US press said that Yemen had before hand known about the attack and approved it.

In a speech he addressed to members of al-Qaida organization in Yemen on Tuesday evening, on the occasion of the beginning of Ramadan, the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said" we call on all members of our homeland who get themselves involved with al-Qaida organization to announce their redemption and to give up their guilt committed against the homeland." He said that Islam "does not advocate violence and extremism, and if those (al-Qaida members) be Muslims and affiliate to this country then they have to return back to the right (path) and they will be then safe, having the same rights of Yemeni citizens as guaranteed in the Yemeni constitution."

On Sunday Yemen witnessed an operation attributed to the CIA and claimed the life of six presumed members of al-Qaida organization including one of its officials Ali Qaid Sanyan al-Harithi who has been chased for months by the FBI. Al-Harithi is thought to be the planner of the attack that took place in 2000 against the US warship "USS Cole" at Aden seaport which resulted in killing 17 American marines.

On the other hand, the Washington Post and New York Times said yesterday that the attack was made at the consent of the Yemeni government. The Washington Post quoted an American official as saying that a pilotless plane controlled by CIA fired the missiles which killed the six men saying "An administration official with knowledge of the attack said the CIA-controlled Predator was being operated under a presidential finding that authorized covert actions by the agency against Osama bin Laden's terrorist organization, and although civilians were killed in the attack it was considered a military action and not an assassination."

The same paper added that the attack was made at the consent of the Yemeni government and in collaboration with it. Meantime, the New York Times said yesterday that Bush last year gave vast authorities for the CIA to chase al-Qaida members in any place in the world. According to those officials, the US president has not in particular permitted firing the missile which killed al-Harithi as far as he had already given the permission to carry out operations of that sort for military and intelligence officials.

Previous Stories:
  Yemen investigates in a car explosion carrying al-Qaida members   (11/6/2002)
  The Islamic monitor: Cairo handed Washington a Yemeni official   (11/2/2002)
  Yemen officially rejects accusing it of conspiring against Afourki   (11/2/2002)
  Yemeni FM confers with Burns on Iraq, developments   (10/28/2002)
  al-Sharq al-Awsat: American diplomat killed in Yemen   (10/22/2002)
  US pressure causing loss of Yemeni citizens rights; Two al-Qaida suspects killed; tensions renew with Eritrea   (9/23/2002)

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