Surf Arab States

Arab States Weekly Review 31 Dec – 8 Jan 2010

Yemen government forces stepped up a campaign against local Al-Qaeda cells which claimed to have planned the failed airliner terror attack and trained the Nigerian jihadist who carried it out on Christmas day. Security forces report several Al-Qaeda people were killed and at least three others were arrested. Intelligence sources previously warned of an imminent attack on foreign interests in Yemen, leading to the embassies of the USA, France and UK being closed temporarily.

A suicide bomber from Jordan operating as a CIA double-agent killed seven American CIA men and a Jordanian intelligence officer at a base in Khost (Afghanistan). The bomber was a trusted double-agent whose task it was to track down Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Al-Qaeda’s number two.

The Burj Khalifa Tower was officially opened in Dubai. Standing at 828 meters, the tower is the world’s tallest building and cost USD 1.5 billion to build. The ceremony came at a time of financial difficulty for Dubai, only having received a USD 10bn bailout from (neighbouring emirate) Abu Dhabi a few weeks ago for state-backed Dubai World.