New front in terror war

last updated 8 January 2015

Djibouti

Eight hundred U.S. troops are conducting war exercises in this tiny nation, preparing for possible attacks on al Qaida terrorists, local officials said last week. Djibouti, an American ally, is just across the Red Sea from Yemen, and shares a border with Somalia. U.S. officials say al Qaida terrorists are believed to be hiding in both countries. Yemen announced last week that it is holding 104 suspected terrorists, including 15 connected with the 2000 bombing there of the USS Cole. But U.S. officials say there are many more, including, perhaps, the ringleader of the alleged sleeper cell in upstate New York.