"Any intervention or direct (military) action by the United States could strengthen the Al-Qaeda network and not weaken it," deputy prime minister for defence and security affairs Rashed Al-Aleemi told a press conference.

"Our position is clear: we will fight and chase the Al-Qaeda group depending on Yemeni forces and security agencies (alone)," he said.

However, Aleemi also said Yemen needs US help to train Yemeni counter-terrorism units.

"Since Al-Qaeda is a global organisation that threatens international stability, all countries in the world, headed by the United States, must cooperate to confront them," he said.

"All we need from the United States is training and providing weapons and equipment to counter-terrorism units and they are capable of liquidating Al-Qaeda and all terror elements."

That stance was supported by the Pentagon.

Spokesman Bryan Whitman said the current US military presence in Yemen was limited and focused on training missions.

"I would describe it as relatively modest but I'm not going to get into the specifics of it," he said.

Washington's efforts included sharing intelligence with Yemen and providing training and funding "to assist them in building up their counter-terrorism capabilities," he said.

Aleemi echoed that, saying security cooperation with Washington is based on the exchange of information.

Long-standing concerns that Yemen has become a haven for Islamic extremism were thrown into sharp focus when a Nigerian man allegedly trained in Yemen was charged with trying to blow up a US-bound jet.

The botched Christmas Day attack was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which also urged attacks on Western interests in Yemen.

Aleemi said the alleged assailant, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, had met radical US-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi while in Yemen.

"The Nigerian hid in Shabwa area in Wadi Rafadh (east of Sanaa) where he met Awlaqi and Mohammad Omair who was killed in the air raid on Wadi Rafadh," he said.

On December 24, Yemeni warplanes struck Wadi Rafadh, in Shabwa province, about 650 kilometres (400 miles) east of Sanaa. Officials said 34 suspected Al-Qaeda militants were killed.

Washington has accused Awlaqi of terrorist links and said that Nidal Hasan, the army psychiatrist accused of shooting dead 13 people at the army's Fort Hood in November, had also been in contact with him.

Abdulmutallab disappeared in Yemen between September 24 and December 7, and authorities are investigating how he managed to leave the country after overstaying his visa.

Aleemi added that based on investigations Abdulmutallab was recruited by Al-Qaeda before going to Yemen, possibly in London where he studied mechanical engineering from 2005-08.

"When he went to Britain, it seems that he was recruited by (Islamist) militant groups," Aleemi said. He arrived in Yemen "after he had been recruited by Al-Qaeda."

In London a spokesman said they had nothing to add to Tuesday's statement by Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

In that statement Johnson acknowledged concern "about the possibility that Abdulmutallab's radicalisation may have begun or been fuelled during his time studying at University College London," but said the Nigerian's family "believe he turned to violent extremism after leaving the UK."

On Wednesday, Abdulmutallab was indicted on six counts arising out of the thwarted plot to blow up a Northwest airliner packed with 279 passengers and 11 crew as it approached Detroit, Michigan.

After the failed attack, General David Petraeus, the US regional military commander, went to Sanaa for talks with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Petraeus, according to the Saba news agency, reaffirmed Washington's support for Yemeni efforts to fight terrorism and delivered a message from President Barack Obama related, in particular, to cooperation in the fight against terrorism and piracy.

Also on Wednesday, a group of top US lawmakers urged Obama to boost aid to Yemen's military, saying they had lost trust in Sanaa's ability to be a strong partner against terrorism.

"We no longer have confidence that the Yemeni government has the capacity to assist the United States in providing for our nation's security," the senior Republicans on five key committees urged Obama in a letter.

Yemeni security forces insist they are winning the war against the jihadists, pointing to two separate air raids in December which killed more than 60 suspected Al-Qaeda members.

On Wednesday, Yemeni officials announced the capture of a key Al-Qaeda leader and two other militants believed behind threats against Western interests in Sanaa that caused embassies to close for several days.

The interior ministry also said its security forces were repeatedly raiding hideouts of "terrorist elements" in several provinces and had turned their "fight against terrorism into a daily confrontation."

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