SANAA, 19 February 2004 — Yemeni naval forces are scheduled to conduct military exercises next week using high-tech gunboats delivered by the United States, Defense Ministry sources said yesterday.
The sources told Arab News on condition of anonymity that the US Military Central Command’s Chief Gen. John Abizaid is to oversee the exercises, to be conducted by two Yemeni Navy and Coast Guard contingents.
Gen. Abizaid is expected to begin his visit to Yemen on Saturday for talks with senior Yemeni officials on military cooperation and joint anti-terrorism efforts.
But the sources would not confirm reports that US forces would participate in the planned one-day war games, which will take place off the southern port city of Aden.
Aden harbor was the scene of the deadly October 2000 attack on the US Navy destroyer USS Cole. Seventeen US marines were killed in the attack, blamed on the Al-Qaeda network.
Yemen received last week seven armed boats as a grant from the United States in support to the Yemeni Coast Guard forces.
