A U.S. team is in Yemen to install a sophisticated monitoring system at airports and border crossings in an attempt to capture members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, an Interior Ministry official said Saturday.
The system, which includes computers and cameras, will link Yemeni air and sea ports and land crossings to a central office in the capital, San`a, the official said.
He did not elaborate about the size of the American team or say how long it had been in the country or when it was scheduled to leave.
A U.S. Embassy official, speaking to AP on condition of anonymity, said the team is helping Yemen to computerize its immigration points of entry and exit as part of a terrorist interdiction program.
U.S. officials are concerned that al-Qaeda members who have scattered across Asia following the defeat of their Taliban allies in Afghanistan may seek shelter in Yemen.
Yemen's government has said there may be al-Qaeda suspects in the country, but it has been unable to arrest two key suspects.
The United States has pledged to help Yemen upgrade its security services and facilities. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
