U.S. Embassy closure followed terror threat

The U.S. closed it's embassy in Yemen on Monday after threats that Al Qaeda opperatives were going to target the it in an attack. Originally information showed that 8 terrorists would be involved in the bombing, but of those three were killed and one was arrested wearing a suicide bombing vest. The remaining four men are unaccounted for. Many other embassys in the country are either closing or increasing security, including Great Britain, Spain, Japan, Germany and France. Al Qaeda has been gaining much strength in Yemen in the past years, raising fears. This especially after Yemen was linked with the attempted terrorist attack on a U.S. bound airplane. Obama has pledged to hold everyone in the attempted bombings accountable, and to crack down on extremist strong-holds in Yemen.

I believe that the government has every right to take extremely cautious measures in the Middle East to ensure safety. I agree entirely with Alexis Nielson when she points out the U.S.'s unpopularity in this region, especially with our ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We must not only expect violent opposition, but plan on it and be prepared. These terrorists want to make a statement against our country, whether it is justified or not. We must put into consideration Yemen's tumultuous history, and respect the culture and the people there so that we don't enrage anyone further. In the meanwhile, closing the embassy is a smart move to prevent death, especially since this has been a target in the past. Acting as swiftly and quickly as possible is the best method, but as Alexis points out, it doesn't mean that a more heavily armed and determined militant group won't continue to put their plans into action. The Middle East is a scary place right now. Hopefully one day, peace can be achieved.

Check out Alexis Nielson's blog on this topic to learn more.

Source: www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/04/yemen.embassies/index/html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28%RSS3A+Top+Stories%29