Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi stated Saturday that the Yemeni army forces would not pursue the American-born Muslim cleric Anwar Al-Awlaqi, who has been recently added to the list of the CIA target list for death or arrest.
Al-Qirbi told the American Associated Press Agency that the U.S. has not hand over evidences that support the allegations accuse Anwar Al-Awlaqi of recruiting Al-Qaeda branch in Yemen.
Obama’s administration had given orders to kill or arrest Al-Awlaqi, because it thinks that he has shift from encouraging for attacks against the U.S. to participate in them, according to media sources.
The Minister said that Al-Awlaqi is not a terrorist and is not on the list of the wanted persons for the Yemeni authorities.
Meanwhile, it is believed that Al-Awlaqi is hiding in a mountainous area in Yemen.
Al-Qirbi added “we look at Anwar Awlaqi as a preacher rather than a terrorist; and we should not view him as a terrorist, unless the Americans have evidences that he had been involved in terrorism”.
The Foreign Minister said that the Yemeni authorities have no contacts with Al-Awlaqi.
The same source reported that the family of Anwar Awlaqi and many members of his strong tribe denied that Al-Awlaqi, 38, a member of Al-Qaeda, considering him as a victim of Yemeni-American persecutions.