U.S. Sending More Troops to Yemen

Staff / Truthdig Jan 28, 2010 The Pentagon is planning to ramp up the number of U.S. special forces troops in Yemen, pointing to the botched Christmas Day attack on Northwest flight 253 as part of the impetus for the increase. It's not clear yet how many more American troops will be sent over, but the boost will be significant, according to the Wall Street Journal. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Mutallab Challenge

Gbemisola Olujobi / Truthdig Jan 13, 2010 Christmas 2009 was not particularly cheery in Nigeria. A poor economic climate, an epileptic power supply and scarcity of petroleum products ensured that the celebrations were low-key. As if these challenges were not enough, news of an attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner by a Nigerian filtered in on Christmas Day. The nation’s heart sank. The tag that has now been put on the country is a new one for Nigeria. Money laundering? Sadly, yes. Internet scamming? Another sad yes. But suicide bombing? Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

White House Releasing Details of Flight 253 Security Issues

Staff / Truthdig Jan 8, 2010 The White House's decision to release information that points to why US intelligence agencies failed to nab the foiled underwear bomber before he boarded Northwest Flight 253 on Dec 25 may have something to do with publicly shaming those agencies (continued). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Obama Slams Intel Agencies for Christmas Day Attack Attempt

Staff / Truthdig Jan 6, 2010 Barack Obama gave U.S. intelligence agencies the presidential equivalent of a knuckle-rapping Tuesday for their failure to connect the dots and nab Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab before a fellow passenger on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was forced to foil his underwear bomb plot the old-fashioned way. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Halts Transfer of Gitmo Prisoners to Yemen

Staff / Truthdig Jan 6, 2010 Perhaps unsurprisingly, the US government has decided that now is not the best time to transfer Yemeni detainees back to their homeland from Guantánamo Bay prison in Cuba More than 80 Yemeni prisoners -- almost half of the entire group at Gitmo -- will stay put for the time being, as the situation between the U and Yemen remains tense. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Colbert Report’: Genitalia Bomb Threat

Staff / Truthdig Jan 6, 2010 Thank goodness "The Colbert Report" is back on the air, and just in time to comment on the attempted airplane attack in Detroit on Christmas Day, which was nearly, er, pulled off by a new kind of dirty bomb. This, plus the prospect of full-body scanning in airports, leads Stephen Colbert to point out that terrorists may not stop at wiring explosives near their junk. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Two Militants Declared Killed, Three More Embassies Closed in Yemen

Staff / Truthdig Jan 4, 2010 The situation in Yemen became more heated Monday as Yemeni forces clashed with suspected al-Qaida operatives, killing two and reportedly wounding a few more 25 miles from the capital city of San'a. According to The New York Times, Yemeni officials linked the militants they targeted in Monday's fight to ongoing threats against U.S. and British embassies in their country. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Yemeni Official: More Counterterrorism Support Needed From West

Staff / Truthdig Dec 30, 2009 The Christmas Day incident on Northwest Flight 253 has brought Yemen further onto the U.S. radar, and now Yemen's foreign minister, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, is calling for more help from the West to deal with what he considers to be a sizable al-Qaida network operating within his country. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )