US sends forces to wage secret war in Horn of Africa

America is preparing to take on suspected al-Qa'ida members believed to be hiding in Yemen – possibly sending special forces troops on covert operations to capture them.

As Yemen emerged as the latest focus of America's "war against terror", it was revealed yesterday that 800 US troops and an unknown number of special forces personnel had been dispatched to Djibouti, the tiny African nation that faces Yemen across the Gulf of Aden. The assault ship Belleau Wood is also in the area and could be used as a platform for troops.

Officials at US Central Command (CentCom) said the deployments were intended to position people and equipment for any operations in the Horn of Africa, though they declined to say whether an operation was imminent.

It was reported at the weekend that the Bush administration had been increasing its support for anti-terror operations in Yemen, which was the third country – after Georgia and the Philippines – to which the Pentagon sent special forces training teamsthis year.

Those efforts are likely to be led by the CIA, which has its own paramilitary units. The Pentagon has also dispatched a team to assist the Yemeni authorities.

The importance of Yemen – home of Osama bin Laden's father – as a longstanding base for suspected al-Qa'ida members was underlined last week by the arrest of six Yemeni men accused of belonging to one of the network's cells based in Buffalo, in upstate New York.

The suspects have been charged with providing support or resources to foreign terrorists.

American officials said yesterday that two other alleged members of the cell, including the ringleader, were still at large, most likely in Yemen. The two men, referred to in affidavits as "uncharged co-conspirators", are believed to be Jaber Elbaneh and Kamal Derwish, the alleged ringleader.

Washington has been paying much closer attention to Yemen since 17 American sailors were killed in 2000 when al-Qa'ida bombed the USS Cole as it refuelled in the port of Aden.

The senior, self-confessed al-Qa'ida member captured last week in Pakistan, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, is also from Yemen, as were about a dozen other suspected al-Qa'ida members seized with him.

Yemeni officials said US troops would not be permitted to launch military operations in the country. One government official said: "Yemen's position is clear: Yemeni forces are the ones responsible for conducting any operations – be they searches or attacks." He claimed that co-operation with the United States was limited to training and the exchange of intelligence.

But it was reported yesterday that US special forces could launch covert strikes from Djibouti. The reports said that among those forces sent to the country were members of the US Army's secretive Delta group, which specialises in commando-style raids to kill or capture enemy personnel.

Yemen says it is holding 85 people arrested in a round-up of al-Qa'ida members. But US officials say there is little visible evidence that real progress against terrorists has been made in recent months.

In February the FBI handed over a list of al-Qa'ida suspects believed to be in Yemen. US special forces trained Yemeni soldiers in counter-terrorism this summer. Two weeks ago Mr Saleh deployed what officials said were the first of 2,000 troops to the northern provinces of Shabwa, Jawf and Marib, strongholds of Islamic militants.

US special forces played a leading role in the war in Afghanistan and were sent to Pakistan to help find al-Qa'ida fighters who fled over the border.

Such operations against terrorist groups overseas are likely to increase under an expected Pentagon reorganisation that will transfer control of the "war against terror" from regional commanders to the US Special Operations Command (Socom) and the elite forces in its charge.

The shake-up was disclosed by The Washington Post yesterday and was not denied by Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary.

The change would signal a more focused and co-ordinated offensive by US forces abroad, which have been criticised for failing to capture or kill many leading figures in al-Qa'ida. Most Americans regard terrorism as a more immediate threat to security than the Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein.

Hitherto, Socom has trained and equipped special forces, such as the Navy Seals and the Delta Force, which are transferred to regular military commanders for use in specific operations. Under the plan, Socom will directly oversee these operations.

* Pakistan said yesterday that police had arrested seven "most wanted terrorists", including one suspected of masterminding a suicide bombing which killed 11 French naval engineers in Karachi in May. The French nationals and three Pakistanis were killed in a car-bomb attack outside the Sheraton hotel.