| Submit your comments on this article |
| Arabia |
| US expands intelligence operations in Yemen |
| 2010-05-27 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] The U.S. military and spy agencies have stepped up intelligence gathering using surveillance aircraft, satellites and signals intercepts to track al-Qaeda targets in and around their base in Yemen, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Some of the intelligence is being shared with Yemeni security forces to facilitate their strikes against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), but could also underpin covert U.S. operations against the group and its leaders, the officials said on condition of anonymity. "There is a tremendous amount of focus on that country," a U.S. intelligence official said. An air strike in Yemen on Tuesday has fueled speculation that the U.S. military or CIA has started using unmanned aerial drones to carry out attacks in Yemen. A Yemeni provincial official said the air strike targeted al-Qaeda but killed a mediator instead. Asked about the strike, U.S. officials said Washington continues to play a supporting role by helping Yemeni forces track and pinpoint targets -- suggesting Tuesday's strike was not carried out by a U.S.-controlled drone. "We continue to support the Yemenis as they go after this threat inside their border," a U.S. military official said. But another U.S. official acknowledged there was an increasingly "fine line" between playing a supportive role and taking the lead. |
| Posted by:Fred |