London, January 03: Gordon Brown and President Barack Obama have agreed to fund a counterterrorism police unit in Yemen to tackle the rising terrorist threat from the country, it was announced in London early today.
The UK and the US have also agreed to increase support for Yemen’s coast guard operation. Pirates operating in the waters between Somalia and Yemen have seized four ships in the last week. Downing Street said that, in addition, Brown and Obama will push the UN Security Council to create a larger peacekeeping force for Somalia.
The government unveiled the plans in the wake of the thwarted Christmas Day bombing of a passenger plane bound for Detroit. Downing Street said the government of Yemen had been consulted over the decision to boost the country’s coast guard and police operations.
–Agencies