Yemeni clerics threaten Jihad against foreign troops in country

SANA’A - More than 150 Yemeni clerics threatened Thursday to declare Jihad if any foreign troops entered the Arab country to fight Al-Qaeda.

The clerics made the warning in a statement at the conclusion of a meeting in a Sana’a mosque.

The meeting was chaired by Sheikh Abdul-Majeed al-Zindani, who is wanted by the US over terrorism financing charges.

“It is a duty to resort to Jihad if the country is invaded by foreign troops,” said the statement.

Yemen has recently come under the spotlight as a possible breeding ground for armed Islamist extremism due to its ongoing civil war and proximity to other hotbeds such as Somalia.