| Submit your comments on this article |
| Arabia |
| US armed drone program in Yemen facing intelligence gaps |
| 2015-02-01 |
| [YEMENONLINE.INFO] The United States is facing increasing difficulty acquiring intelligence needed to run its stealth drone program in Yemen, undermining a campaign against the most lethal branch of al Qaeda after Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews... rebels seized control of parts of the country's security apparatus, U.S. officials say. Gaps in on-the-ground intelligence could slow America's fight against a resurgent al Qaeda in Yemen and heighten the risk of errant strikes that kill the wrong people and stoke anti-U.S. sentiment, potentially making the Death Eaters even stronger in areas where al Qaeda is already growing. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have taken up positions in and around several defense and intelligence installations whose teams had previously cooperated with Washington, cutting off key sources of information for drone-missile attacks, the officials told Rooters. Turmoil in the wake of last week's collapse of a U.S.-backed Yemeni government after days of festivities in the capital Sanaa, has already forced the U.S. State Department to reduce staff and operations at the U.S. Embassy. U.S. officials told Rooters last week that Washington has also halted some counter-terrorism operations, but described the measures as temporary. The turmoil has also cast doubt over the future of a key partnership for Washington in the fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ...the latest incarnation of various Qaeda and Qaeda-allied groups, including the now-defunct Aden-Abyan Islamic Army that boomed the USS Cole in 2000... , or AQAP. Only last September President Barack Obama teachable moment... touted cooperation with Yemen as a model in counter-terrorism. |
| Posted by:Fred |