Former Defence Intelligence Agency official Pat Lang said that President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government does not have much control over the areas outside the cities. The government, he claimed, is one of the many factions engaged in “all kinds of little wars” against one another.

In 2001, Washington identified Yemen as a potential al Qaeda haven after the 9/11 attacks. It is also the ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader whose followers attacked the USS Cole in a port in Yemen one year before 11 September. The bombing killed 17 American sailors.

Two years later, Washington carried out an attack on al Qaeda forces in Yemen, killing one of the suspects behind the Cole attack. The US retaliation put pressure on the government of Saleh and impeded efforts to track al Qaeda forces in the territory, according to Richard Fontaine, a Centre for a New American Security analyst.

US State Department counterterrorism head Daniel Benjamin commented that al Qaeda following in Yemen has been inconsistent since it started in the 1990s. “Dealing with terrorist groups is a little bit like trying to nail jelly to the wall”, he said.

“If they’re not defending territory, then they will move around. What we have to ensure is that, wherever they move, those countries have the capability to deal with the threat”.

Clinton commented that Yemen’s internal crisis has elevated and the San’a government should act to restore order. This statement came after the American Embassy in Yemen was shut down for the second day due to threats from al Qaeda.

“Obviously, we see global implications from the war in Yemen and the ongoing efforts by al Qaeda in Yemen to use it as a base for terrorist attacks far beyond the region”, Clinton said during a news conference with Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassim Jabr al-Thani.

The Secretary of State, however, applauded the government of Yemen for taking the necessary steps to counter extremist threats. She also said that during the international conference to be held in London this month, the United States and its allies plan to inform the Yemeni government of certain “expectations and conditions” that must be met if the country wants continued support from the West.

“We’re going to listen and consult with those who have long experience in Yemen, such as Qatar does … and work together to try to encourage the government to take steps that will lead to a more lasting period of peace and stability”, said Clinton.

Clinton added: “It’s time for the international community to make it clear to Yemen that there are expectations and conditions on our continuing support for the government so that they can take actions which will have a better chance to provide peace and stability in that region”.

As terror attacks have increased in the Middle East nation for over the past year, the U.S. has strengthened counterterrorism training there to shore up Yemen’s borders and help combat arms trafficking and terror financing.

Considering the increased strength of al-Qaeda, which has been training more new recruits in Yemen’s ungoverned areas, the U.S. government is toying with the idea of increasing sales of military equipment and financial aid to Yemen’s government.

Senior State Department counterterrorism adviser Shari Villarosa said that Yemen’s security condition has “deteriorated significantly” and that Yemen’s will to battle against al-Qaeda’s terrorism has changed at times.”

“The U.S. wants to help Yemen because we do not want to see Yemen become another Afghanistan where al-Qaeda can train, plan, and execute terrorist actions against us,” Villarosa said.

About a week after the visit of the top commander in the Middle East, U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh last month, the country’s forces started anti-terrorist operations in areas thought to be al-Qaeda safe havens. But the Yemeni government’s efforts stopped as the forces were diverted a few days later to a fight against rebels in the north.

“Al-Qaeda in Yemen is stronger now than it has ever been in the past,” said Gregory D. Johnsen, a Yemen scholar. “The organisation is attracting more recruits than ever before and it is growing increasingly more skilled at utilising its members.”