U.S., Yemen – strange bedfellows in the war on terror [Archives:2008/1141/Opinion]

By: Mohammed Al-Asaadi,
The Media Line
Despite their joint battle against terrorism, relations between the United States and Yemen reached a nadir earlier this month when a Yemeni state security court released on bail an FBI-wanted Al-Qa'ida operative.

Jabir Al-Bana, a Yemeni-U.S. terror suspect, who was sentenced to 10 years by a Yemeni court for his connection with terrorism, was released on commercial bail on March 9.

He was captured in Yemen in January 2004, tried and convicted, but managed to escape from a prison run by national intelligence in January 2006 with 23 other Al-Qa'ida detainees. Al-Bana surrendered to the authorities last December after negotiation and guaranteeing his right to appeal the initial ruling.

A criminal complaint was filed against Al-Bana, a member of the “Lackawanna Six