Abuse and torture are rife in a network of secret prisons across southern Yemen where hundreds are detained in the hunt for al-Qaida militants, former detainees told The Associated Press. The network is run by the United Arab Emirates and by Yemeni forces it created, with at least 18 lock-ups hidden away in military bases, air and seaports, in the basements of private villas and even in a nightclub, according to accounts from former detainees, families of prisoners, civil rights lawyers and Yemeni military officials. American defense officials confirmed Wednesday that U.S.