"Yemen is an important theatre that Al Qaeda has given a great deal of priority to," states US Ambassador Edmund Hull. Large sections of the country are outside the government's effective control and there were fears it would become a new base for Bin Laden. But the government is determined to prevent that from happening. It is spending millions buying weapons on the black market in an attempt to deny terrorists the tools of their trade. It has also collaborated in targeted assassinations and arrests although calls for prisoners to be deported to Guantanamo Bay have been rejected. However not everyone supports their actions. America fears the government is creating a new weapons market, encouraging tribesmen to import more weapons into a country already awash with arms. And many Yemenis sympathise with Bin Laden. "There is no Al Qaeda. This is just a campaign against Islam," complains Sheik Zaid Ahmed Haider. However, despite these concerns the Yemen Option appears to be working. More than a year has now passed since the last major Al Qaeda attack in Yemen and a peace of sorts has descended on the country.