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Bahrain official wary of claims about al Qaida threats in Yemen
A leading Bahraini lawmaker has expressed "tremendous concerns" that claims about Al Qaida in Yemen threats to world security would turn out to be as baseless as the ones made about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.
"Al Qaida in Yemen has been given incredibly impressive proportions which it does not deserve," Adel Al Mouawda, an MP representing Al Asala, said.
"It seems that the new dimension is being used by the US and subsequently by Britain to achieve their hegemony over the region, including regional and international waters. I am singularly afraid that the whole Al Qaida issue and threats would end up like the alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction," the Salafi leader said in a statement on Tuesday.
Al Qaida should be condemned for its crime against humanity, but the superpowers had played a major role in boosting its capabilities, he said.
"Despite its crime against humanity, Al Qaida has benefited from the moral boost it got following the inhuman abuses by leading world powers in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Al Qaida was able to get clear and strong arguments that it used to engage in violent acts," said Al Mouawda who heads the foreign affairs, defence and national security committee in the lower chamber.