Readout of John Brennan’s call with President Saleh of Yemen

Assistant to the President John Brennan called President Ali Abdallah Saleh of Yemen this morning to relay President Obama’s personal condolences on the murder of more than a dozen Yemeni security forces by al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula over the past  two days.  Brennan said that President Obama strongly condemned the brutal attacks, which reflect the group’s clear intent to kill Yemenis who are valiantly seeking to stop al-Qa’ida’s attempts to carry out terrorist attacks in Yemen as well as in other countries.  Brennan told President Saleh that the United States is determined to stand with the government and people of Yemen in confronting al-Qa’ida and that President Obama is committed to continuing the provision of security, economic, and development assistance to Yemen.