August 31, 2008:
After years of trying to avoid coming down
hard on Islamic radicals, Yemen has lost patience. Local politics, more than
any affection for Islamic terrorism, led to years of tolerating Islamic
radicals. Many were arrested, but many more were left alone. No more. Islamic
radicals, being what they are, kept stepping over the line, and now the
government is rounding all the ones it can find. And in the last few weeks,
over 30 have been arrested in the eastern part of the country. Many of those
picked up were Saudis, seeking a secure base while they planned attacks back in
their home country. There's trouble enough with the Saudis because of
rebellious Shia tribes on the border, so tolerating an al Qaeda cell was out of
the question.