 Yemen held its first direct presidential elections in September 1999, electing President Ali Abdallah Salih to a 5-year term in what were generally considered free and fair elections.Yemen held its second multiparty parliamentary elections in April 1997.On October 12, 2000, the USS "Cole" - an American guided missile destroyer - was attacked by waterborne terrorists as the American ship was refueling in the port of Aden.