Yemen has promised to clear its territory of al-Qaeda, insisting that it can tackle militant elements on its own.
The Yemeni government, amid fears of foreign military intervention, has publicly warned its citizens not to co-operate with the extremists.
'Yemen is determined to clear its territory of al-Qaeda members', and intensive operations against Osama bin Laden's network will continue, the 26sep.net website quoted the source as saying.
Yemen's council of clerics has called for jihad if foreign troops seek to fight al-Qaeda in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country.
'If any party insists on aggression, or invades the country, then according to Islam, jihad becomes obligatory,' said a statement signed by 150 clerics read at a news conference.
The clerics also stressed 'strong rejection of any foreign intervention in Yemeni affairs, whether political or military.'
The clerics include the radical Sheikh Abdulmajeed al-Zendani, who is labelled by the US administration as a 'global terrorist'.
They also rejected 'any security or military agreement or co-operation (between Yemen and) any foreign party if it violates Islamic Sharia (law)' and the 'setting up any military bases in Yemen, or in its territorial waters'.
Yesterday, the chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin, urged Washington to consider targeting al-Qaeda militants in Yemen with armed drones, air strikes or covert operations, but not invade the country.'Most options ought to be on the table,' short of invasion by US forces, the Michigan Democrat said.
The al-Qaeda-linked group in Yemen, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, claimed responsibility for the botched Christmas Day attack on a US airliner, and Washington has accused the group of training the alleged assailant, Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
Sheikh Abdulmajeed Zendani has warned that any US military intervention in Yemen to fight al-Qaeda would be considered an occupation.
