Yemen's Jihadis Raise Their Game With Embassy Attacks

For nearly a decade American landmarks in Yemen have been subject to ongoing threats and attempted violence. In response, the embassy has increased its fortifications with layers of thick security and concrete barriers.

Wednesday's attack occurred at its outer perimeter, with most of the physical damage around the front gate.

Yemen, dominated by a conservative tribal culture, has struggled in its economic and social development. Arguably the oldest and richest culture in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen is now the poorest country in the gulf.

It faces a water shortage, a booming population and the depletion of the oil reserves that account for much of the country's revenue. Widespread use of a locally grown narcotic called khat holds back productivity and economic growth.

Modern Yemen has existed only since 1990, after decades of a civil war that left veins of sectarian fighting and factionalism running through the country. It is also the ethnic homeland of Osama bin Laden.

Yemenis form the largest group of detainees still held at Guantanamo Bay, according to a local media count in January. Among the public, many support government efforts to crack down on violent extremists. Others find common ground with militant attackers.

"There is some anti-American sentiment among the Yemeni people. Some are religiously misled, manipulated for their sympathy and support. Some people think the extremists are right, especially in tribal areas," said Al-Qadhi, the Yemeni analyst.

But he said even that element has shown resistance to the militants' attacks as they have involved more and more local casualties.

"With the USS Cole attack some people were happy, because it was against a U.S. military target," Al-Qadhi said. "Now they see extremists are just hurting civilians."

A Struggle With Extremism

Along with an ideological fringe that embraces violent Islam, a porous border with Saudi Arabia and pockets of limited government control have complicated joint U.S.-Yemeni efforts in the war on terror.

The partnership, which intensified after the Cole bombing and the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has had its problems.

Tension remains over Washington's effort to extradite Jamal al-Badawi, a convicted mastermind of the Cole bombing, who escaped from a Yemeni prison after serving part of a 15-year sentence. Washington has long pushed Yemen to hand over al-Badawi and other terror suspects, while Yemen maintains its constitution prevents the extradition of its nationals.