The United States said it was closing its embassy in Yemen to the public indefinitely amid fears it may become a target for a terrorist attack in retaliation for the US killing of a top al-Qaeda activists.
"The US embassy in Sanaa will be closed to the public on November 6 to review its security posture," said Lynn Cassell, a State Department spokeswoman. "The embassy will re-open at the appropriate time," she said, according to AFP.
The decision to close the embassy to the public came as US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz implicitly confirmed the United States carried out a missile strike in Yemen that killed a top al-Qaeda leader and five other operatives.
In an interview with CNN, Wolfowitz called it a "very successful tactical operation." "One hopes each time you get a success like that not only to have gotten rid of somebody dangerous, but to have imposed changes in their tactics and operations and procedures," he said.
The details of the attack were first reported by Al Bawaba.com.
"There will probably be some very angry people today who may try to take revenge, so we're taking extra precautions," a senior State Department official told AFP.
"I think it's safe to say that people would be coming after us even if the CIA had nothing to do with this," the official said. (Albawaba.com)
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