Islamic Terrorists Attack British Diplomats' Convoy In Yemen, 4 Wounded

A convoy transporting several British diplomats in Yemen was attacked today by islamic terrorists (probably al Qaeda) when a rocket was fired that ended up wounding four. The British diplomats were not any of the wounded.

From the report at Breitbart:

Gunmen fired a rocket against a convoy carrying a senior British diplomat in Yemen's capital on Wednesday, damaging a car and wounding four people amid heightened fears about growing al-Qaida influence in the impoverished Arab nation.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the British convoy, but Yemeni authorities recently boosted security around embassies in San'a after receiving information that the terror network was planning an attack.

The vehicle was on its way to embassy with five staff members on board when it came under fire, Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement. One embassy official suffered minor injuries and was undergoing treatment, while the rest were unharmed, the statement said.

A Foreign Office official said the embassy's deputy chief of mission was in the car, but not injured. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.

The embassy's armored car was struck by shrapnel and three bystanders also were wounded, a Yemeni security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

I cannot imagine being any Western diplomat in Yemen right now - as I don't see a safe spot anywhere in that country. As you can see by the full article below, this is just one of a litany of attacks on diplomats over time in Yemen and the Yemeni government has has little success in battling the likes of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Yemen explosion targets British diplomats



SAN'A, Yemen (AP) - Gunmen fired a rocket against a convoy carrying a senior British diplomat in Yemen's capital on Wednesday, damaging a car and wounding four people amid heightened fears about growing al-Qaida influence in the impoverished Arab nation.
Also, a gunman shot and killed the French manager of Austrian oil and gas company OMV. The attacker was believed to be a security guard at the company's compound outside San'a. The motive was not immediately clear.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the British convoy, but Yemeni authorities recently boosted security around embassies in San'a after receiving information that the terror network was planning an attack.

The vehicle was on its way to embassy with five staff members on board when it came under fire, Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement. One embassy official suffered minor injuries and was undergoing treatment, while the rest were unharmed, the statement said.

A Foreign Office official said the embassy's deputy chief of mission was in the car, but not injured. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.

The embassy's armored car was struck by shrapnel and three bystanders also were wounded, a Yemeni security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

The explosion came a day after a visit by third-ranking U.S. diplomat William Burns to discuss the security situation and less than six months after a suicide bomber attacked the British ambassador's car in San'a.

The attacks have cast doubt on the effectiveness of the Yemeni government's U.S.-backed campaign against al-Qaida militants, who have found a haven in parts of the rugged, mountainous nation where the central government's control is weak.

In April, the British ambassador was targeted by a suicide bomber who blew himself up near the diplomat's armored car in a poor neighborhood of the capital. The ambassador was unharmed.

Yemen says it is waging an aggressive campaign to uproot al-Qaida, and Washington has earmarked some $150 million in military assistance to the government to help combat the threat with training, equipment and intelligence help.

Burns said Tuesday that the U.S. will continue to support in its fight against terrorism.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, an offshoot of Osama bin Laden's terror network, was formed more than a year ago when Yemen and Saudi militant groups merged. Militants are believed to have built up strongholds in remote parts of the country, allying with powerful tribes that resent the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The group's fighters attacked the U.S. Embassy in San'a twice in 2008, and earlier this year a number of Western embassies, including the U.S. and British, shut down for days in response to threats of attack.

The Nigerian suspect in the failed Christmas Day plot to bomb a Detroit-bound airliner has said he received training from al-Qaida militants in Yemen, according to U.S. investigators. In February, the offshoot's military commander, Qassim al-Raimi, warned of further attacks against Americans.