U.S. reopens embassy in Yemen

The U.S. Embassy in Yemen reopened Tuesday after closing for two days over threats of an imminent al-Qaeda attack in the country’s capital.
The embassy website said “successful counter-terrorism operations” conducted by the Yemen government have “addressed a specific area of concern” that contributed to the decision to resume operations.
The statement did not provide more details but thanked the government for its efforts to disrupt al-Qaeda in the region.
It said the threat of terrorist attacks against American interests remains high and warned U.S. citizens in the country to be vigilant.
The U.S. and U.K. embassies in the country closed on Sunday. France's embassy is not open to the public, but staff are working. Spain's embassy in the Yemeni capital of San'a also has restricted public access.
The U.S. embassy closure was prompted by “credible information that pointed to the likelihood of imminent terrorist attacks,” its website said.

Militants killed

On Monday, two al-Qaeda militants were reported killed by security forces in Yemen although officials said the raid was not linked to threats that prompted the embassies' closure.
Although the government of impoverished Yemen is weak outside of the capital, it has staged several recent raids against militants who have set up strongholds in the country. The U.S. has backed the raids.
U.S. and U.K. counterterrorism support in Yemen has gone up quickly, as special units are funded and trained to fight al-Qaeda.
U.S. President Barack Obama said an al-Qaeda-related group in Yemen was behind a failed Christmas Day attempt to bomb a U.S. passenger jet flying from Amsterdam to Detroit.