For a second day in a row, several countries are either closing their embassies in Yemen or significantly cutting back operations at their embassies.
The American and UK embassies remained closed for a second day in a row, with no word on when they'll reopen. The AP reports that France and the Czech Republic also closed their embassies, and Spain and Germany have restricted public access to their embassies there.
The NYT also reports that Japan has shuttered its embassy there--and indicates Yemeni forces may have found part of the reason why.
Yemeni government forces killed two suspected Qaeda militants on Monday and wounded others in a firefight 25 miles north of the capital, Yemeni officials said, tying the militants to the continuing threats directed against the United States and British Embassies here.
The fact they launched this attack so fast might be an indication of what Petraeus discussed with Yemen's president on Saturday.
Yemeni forces were apparently hunting a pretty big fish.
The Yemeni forces were tracking Nazih al-Hanq, whom they suspected of belonging to the regional terrorist group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, when they came under fire in the city of Arhab, the officials said. They said that two of Mr. Hanq’s bodyguards were killed and perhaps three others wounded, but that Mr. Hanq escaped in the area between the villages of Al Hanq and Beit Boussan.
Such a quick, focused response should put an end to any "Obambi" talk on the fringe. That being said, To think that we knew about the al-Qaeda presence here as early as 2000, and yet spent six years tilting windmills in Iraq rather than help the Yemenis ... well, this is one occasion where dereliction of duty should be a criminal offense.