US steps up hunt for bin Laden terrorists

The Pentagon is stepping up the hunt for al-Qaida fighters in Yemen, the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden, which remains a terrorist hornets’ nest despite efforts of US and Yemeni authorities over the past two years.

The US defence department has sent a team to the remote, rugged Middle East country to recommend ways the United States can help local forces catch al-Qaida fighters, including some who fled the US war in Afghanistan, and their supporters, officials said.