An estimated 60 percent to 70 percent of Yemen's adult males are thought to be qat users, which in effect means that they are high on the green leafy plant from 1 p.m. to early evening every day.

The military is no exception, and the security officials say that undermines discipline and renders soldiers unfit to perform combat duties for a big part of the day and night, weekends and especially holidays.

Many say things are done differently in Yemen and the United States should let the government fight al Qaeda in its own way. 'If left alone, we can deal with al Qaeda with sustained and patient police work,' said Abdul-Ghani al-Iryani, a political analyst from one of Yemen's most powerful families. 'The number of core al Qaeda gunnies is small, but when you send an army to pursue 15 of them, they tend to double their number before the army leaves.'