Yemen president in United States for medical treatment
NEW YORK - The Associated Press
Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrives US for treatment.
The embattled president of Yemen arrived Jan. 28 in the United States for medical treatment for burns he suffered during an assassination attempt in June.President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived at an unspecified location in the U.S., according to the country’s foreign press office. His journey had taken him from Oman, through London. The one-line Yemeni statement said Saleh was in the U.S. for a “short-term private medical visit.”
His staff has said he is in the U.S. to be treated for injuries suffered during the assassination attempt. He was burned over much of his body and had shards of wood embedded into his chest by the explosion that ripped through his palace mosque as he prayed.
After months of unrest, Saleh agreed in November to end his 33-year-rule of the Arabian state. His trip to the U.S. comes as Yemen, a key counterterrorism partner, prepares for an election on Feb. 21 to select his successor.
