Yemen Coast Guard gets some UK help

Reported here:

Yemeni and British navy forces began yesterday a three-day joint exercise in the Gulf of Aden aimed at boosting the capabilities of the Yemeni coast guard, Yemen’s official news agency Saba reported.

The exercise, in which five British naval ships were participating, was being held some 90km off the coast of the southern post city of Aden, the agency said.

“The exercise is bound to strengthen abilities of the Yemeni coast guard forces in intercepting ships and combating terrorism and sea piracy,” Saba said.

Of course, the piece indicates that Yemen is a close ally in the war of terror, though some might argue that the escape of the USS Cole bombing suspects makes that claim somewhat ironic. Jane over at Armies of Liberation always has great coverage of Yemen.