U.S. President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism advisor says a threat from an al-Qaida affiliate led to the closure of the American embassy in Yemen. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports this same group has been linked to the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. airliner.
美国总统奥巴马的高级反恐顾问说，来自基地组织附属团体的威胁导致美国关闭在也门的使馆。正是这个团体和圣诞日炸美国航班的未遂阴谋有关。
John Brennan says the embassy was closed to protect the lives of its staff.
奥巴马总统的国土安全顾问约翰.布伦南说，为了保护也门使馆工作人员的生命安全，这个使馆被关闭了。
"There are indications that al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is targeting our embassy and targeting our personnel and we are not going to take any chances with the lives of our diplomats and others who are at that embassy," he said.
布伦南说：“有迹象显示，在阿拉伯半岛上的基地组织正把矛头指向我们的使馆和我们的工作人员，我们决不拿在这个使馆内的我国外交人员和其他工作人员的生命来冒险。”
The president's homeland security advisor told the FOX News Sunday television program the United States is working with the Yemeni government to deal with the terrorist threat.
这位总统国土安全顾问在“福克斯周日新闻”电视节目上说，美国正与也门政府合作应对这种恐怖威胁。
On NBC's Meet the Press, he was asked if that means Yemen is a major new front in the war on terrorism.
在全国广播公司的“面对媒体”节目上，布伦南被问及：这是否意味也门是反恐战争的主要新战线。
Brennan said it has long been an area of concern.
布伦南说，也门早已成为引人关注的地区。
"We have been focused on this issue," he added. "We need to make sure that we continue to provide the training, the support that Yemen needs to counter this very serious threat."
布伦南说：“这个问题一直是我们注目的焦点。我们得确定我们要继续向也门提供反击这种非常严重的威胁所需的训练和支持。”
The United States and Britain have agreed to fund a new counter-terrorism police unit in Yemen. The British government, which has also closed its embassy there, is hosting a conference later this month designed to boost Yemen's ability to fight terrorism.
美国和英国已经同意资助也门的一个新的反恐警察部门。英国政府也关闭了在也门的使馆，并即将在本月晚些时候主办旨在促进也门反恐能力的一次会议。
On Saturday, President Obama said an al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen apparently trained and equipped the Nigerian man accused in the failed Christmas Day attack on a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight.
星期六，奥巴马总统说，在也门的一个基地组织附属团体显然训练并且装备了被控在圣诞日袭击飞往底特律的西北航空公司航班的一个尼日利亚人，但是此人的炸机企图未能得逞。
Brennan - who is leading a White House investigation into the incident - told ABC's This Week there were bits and pieces of information about the suspect, but no definitive evidence.
在白宫，领导这一事件调查工作的布伦南对美国广播公司的“本周”节目说，我们已经有了关于这名嫌疑人的一些情报，但是还没有确凿证据。
"There was no single piece of intelligence, a 'smoking gun' if you will, that said that Mr. Abdulmutallab was going to carry out his attack against that aircraft," he explained.
布伦南说：“还没有一项证据确定无疑地显明阿布杜穆塔拉布要袭击这架航班。”
Congress is planning hearings into the matter over the coming weeks. The top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee says he wants to know why so many Yemenis held at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have been sent back home in recent years.
国会正计划在今后几周内举行听证会，调查这一事件。参议院情报委员会委员、共和党资深参议员基特.邦德说，他想要知道近几年来为什么有那么多被关押在古巴关塔那摩湾拘留中心的也门人被遣送回国。
Senator Kit Bond of Missouri told Fox News Sunday many of those returned to Yemen are now active in al-Qaida.
来自密苏里州的基特.邦德星期天在“福克斯周日新闻”节目上说，许多返回也门的人如今是基地组织的积极分子。
"I think the Bush administration has been shown to have made a mistake," he said. "I hope the Obama administration will learn from that and not continue to commit the same mistake."
邦德说：“我认为已经显示布什政府犯了一个错误。我希望奥巴马政府将吸取教训，不要再犯同样的错误。”
Michigan Congressman Peter Hoekstra, the senior Republican on the House Committee on Intelligence, recently visited Yemen. He said there is no partisan divide in Washington on the nature of the threat now emanating from that country.
来自密西根州的议员彼德.霍克斯特拉是众议院情报委员会的资深共和党人，他最近访问了也门。他说，关于如今在也门滋长的威胁的性质问题，华盛顿不存在党派分歧。
"It appears that we are now all on the same page," he said. "We recognize the imminent threat. We are committed to enhancing our intelligence capabilities and our offensive capability to deal with this."
霍克斯特拉说：“看来如今我们大家论调一致。我们认识到这种紧迫的威胁。我们正全力以赴地加强我们获取情报的能力以及我们处理这一威胁的抗击能力。”
Hoekstra was interviewed on ABC's This Week.
霍克斯特拉接受了美国广播公司的“本周”节目采访。 |