TOP NEWS:-US Reopens Yemen Embassy, Commends Counter-Terror Efforts

The U.S. Embassy in Yemen says it has reopened after Yemeni forces successfully dealt with a security threat that prompted its closure for two days.




The U.S. mission in Sana'a said Yemen had addressed a "specific area of concern" by conducting a counter-terrorism operation Monday north of Sana'a. It also warned that the threat of terrorism against American interests in Yemen remains high.



The British Embassy in Sanna'a also reopened Tuesday but kept its public services suspended.



The United States and Britain closed their embassies in Sana'a Sunday due to warnings of a possible al-Qaida attack. Yemen says its forces killed two al-Qaida members responsible for that threat Monday in an operation in the northern region of Arhab.



Yemen's government also announced the arrest Tuesday of five suspected al-Qaida members in the capital and the western region of Hodeida.



The U.S. mission in Sana'a commended Yemen's government for trying to disrupt al-Qaida's affiliate in the region, and promised continued U.S. support for those efforts.



On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Yemen's instability is a threat to regional and global security. Yemen's government has been fighting secessionist southern rebels, Shi'ite fighters along the Saudi border and the growing presence of al-Qaida militants.



Yemen-based Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for a Nigerian man's unsuccessful attempt to bomb a U.S.-bound airplane on December 25.



The Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has told U.S. investigators he was trained by al-Qaida operatives in Yemen.