Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

Yemen’s political instability makes the country vulnerable for use as a transit point for weapons
of mass destruction (WMD)-related materials. In the past year the United States resumed training
focusing on the development of strategic trade controls. Yemen has identified an inter-ministry
group to work on nonproliferation-related issues.
The United States continues to build Yemeni government capacity to secure potentially
dangerous biological and chemical materials and infrastructure housed at Yemeni facilities,
while also productively engaging Yemeni scientists and engineers that have WMD or WMDapplicable
expertise.
SOUTH ASIA
Afghanistan. Several terrorist networks active in Afghanistan, such as al-Qa’ida (AQ), the
Haqqani Network, and others, operate largely out of Pakistan. AQ has some freedom of
movement in Kunar and Nuristan provinces largely due to a lack of Afghan National Security
Forces capacity to control certain border territories in north and east Afghanistan. During 2012,
the Afghan government continued to counter the Afghan Taliban and Taliban-affiliated insurgent
networks with AQ connections. Specifically, the increased capability of the Afghan Local Police
units has increased the ability of the Government of Afghanistan to control territory.
The potential for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) trafficking and proliferation was a
concern in Afghanistan because of its porous borders and the presence of terrorist groups. The
U.S. government worked with the Government of Afghanistan to implement comprehensive
strategic trade controls. The U.S. Border Management Task Force also worked closely with
Afghan officials to prevent the proliferation of and trafficking of WMD in and through
Afghanistan. The Export Control and Related Border Security Assistance (EXBS) program
assisted the Government of Afghanistan in drafting a Strategic Goods Law. This draft legislation
was in the final approval stages within the Afghan Ministry of Justice at the end of 2012. In
addition, EXBS contributed to strengthening Afghanistan’s enforcement capacity through
participation in a regional cross-border training program, and training through the Department of
Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection agency.
The United States continued to assist the Afghan government to build capacity needed to secure
potentially dangerous biological and chemical materials and infrastructure housed at Afghan
facilities, while also productively engaging Afghan scientists and engineers that have WMD or
WMD-applicable expertise.
Pakistan. Portions of Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province, and Balochistan remained a safe haven for terrorist groups seeking to conduct
domestic, regional, and global attacks. Al-Qa’ida, the Haqqani Network, the Afghan Taliban,
Lashkar e-Tayyiba, and other groups exploited the inability of Pakistan’s security agencies to
fully control portions of its own territory to find refuge and plan operations. U.S.-Pakistan
discussions on counterterrorism, border security, and political transition in Afghanistan occurred
regularly and at high levels.
Pakistan alleged that ISAF and Afghan forces failed to control the Afghan side of the border,
allowing safe haven for anti-Pakistan terrorist groups such as the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP
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