Pentagon to boost Yemen's special operations forces

The Pentagon plans to boost U.S. military assistance to Yemen's special operations forces. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in February authorized $150 million in security assistance for Yemen for fiscal 2010, up from $67 million last year, but the Pentagon has offered few details about the highly sensitive program. Officials briefed on the matter said the Pentagon informed Congress that it would provide $34 million in "tactical assistance" to Yemen's special operations forces. In addition, $38 million will provide Yemen with a military transport aircraft, officials said. The Pentagon is drawing up detailed spending plans for the rest of the program, which is expected to focus on boosting Yemen's air transport capabilities. U.S. military and intelligence agencies have sought to keep their expanding roles in Yemen quiet, in part to avert a public backlash against the government. Several of Yemen's internal security and intelligence services have been named as human rights abusers by international rights groups and the U.S. State Department.