US INTELLIGENCE agencies have blacklisted 23 Australians in Yemen suspected of terrorist links, as Barack Obama's counterterrorism chief warns that the world must confront al-Qaeda fighters in Yemen.

A diplomatic cable from the US embassy in Sanaa, leaked to WikiLeaks, lists the names and birth dates of 23 Australians thought to have connections to the group ''al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula''.

Some names have been added to a US list banning them from commercial flights. The rest are to be closely monitored by US spy agencies.

The cable, sent last January, has not been made public but the contents, excluding the personal details - have been reported by The New York Times, one of several news outlets granted access to the cables.

Another cable blames Saudi Arabia as the world's largest source of funds for Islamist extremists.