Honorable John F. Kerry
United States Senator, Massachusetts, Democrat
Senator Kerry was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984. He chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The following is excerpted from his statement during a January 20, 2010, Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Yemen. This Administration and many on this Committee have long been concerned by the threat posed by al-Qaeda’s beachhead in Yemen. In fact, by Christmas, the Administration had already begun partnering with Yemen’s government to go on offense against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Al-Qaeda’s presence in Yemen may not be new, but it is evolving. Last January, Saudi and Yemeni al-Qaeda branches merged…
