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Despite public efforts by Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to
insist that Yemen’s military is responsible for all military operations
on its soil, U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks detail the
secret deal Saleh arranged with the U.S. government. He permitted the
Pentagon to launch attacks on “terrorists” on Yemeni soil, mainly in
Arhab, Abyan, and Shebwa, all alleged Al-Qaeda hotspots.
In September 2009, Saleh told U.S. diplomats, “I have given you an
open door on terrorism.” This offering of an “open door” meant that
Saleh would allow the Pentagon to launch bombing assaults on any person
or group deemed a “terrorist” by Washington. However, due to the risk of
enraging the people of Yemen, Saleh said he would claim that it was the
Yemeni military that carried out the attacks.
On Dec. 17, 2009, the U.S. military bombed targets in Yemen, causing significant damage and civilian deaths.
In a subsequent meeting with Gen. David Petraeus, the former head of
the U.S central command, Saleh said, “We’ll continue saying the bombs
are ours, not yours.”
Not only did he offer the U.S. military full access to his country,
but Saleh also explained that he wanted the operations “to continue
non-stop until we eradicate this disease.”
The cables make Saleh’s subservience to the aims of U.S. imperialism
crystal clear, along with the ongoing attacks on the Arab people of
Yemen.
