WASHINGTON: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's eventual fall or his replacement by a weaker leader would pose "a real problem" for US counter-terrorism work, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Sunday. In an interview with ABC television, Gates said Saleh's government and the Yemeni security services have helped the United States in fighting Al-Qaeda's Yemeni branch.
"I think it is a real concern because the most active and, at this point perhaps the most aggressive, branch of Al-Qaeda, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, operates out of Yemen," Gates said.
"And we've had counter-terrorism cooperation with President Saleh and the Yemeni security services," the defence secretary added.
"So if that government collapses, or is replaced by one who is dramatically more weak, then I think we'd face some additional challenges out of Yemen, there's no question about it. It's a real problem," he said.
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