Monday, January 26, 2015

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CIA Strike, First Since Yemen Upheaval, Kills 3 Qaeda Fighters, Officials Say - New York Times







Play Video|2:15

Videos Show Yemen’s Unfolding Crisis



Videos Show Yemen’s Unfolding Crisis



Since Monday, videos have surfaced — both professional and amateur — showing the violence unfolding between the Yemeni Army and Houthi rebels in the capital, Sana.


Video by Quynhanh Do on January 22, 2015. Photo by European Pressphoto Agency.


WASHINGTON — A C.I.A. drone strike on Monday on a car in eastern Yemen, the first since the resignation of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, killed three suspected Qaeda fighters, American officials said, in a signal that the United States will continue its targeted killing operations in the country despite the apparent takeover by Houthi fighters.


The strike took place in the central province of Marib, where a missile hit a vehicle carrying three men near the boundary with the province of Shabwa, which is believed to be a stronghold of Al Qaeda. The Central Intelligence Agency operates a drone base in southern Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen.


The Saudi government is a strong supporter of American strikes against the group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.


The Associated Press quoted a Qaeda member who identified the three killed fighters as Awaid al-Rashidi, a Saudi, and Abdel Aziz al-Sanaani and Mohammed al-Jahmi, both Yemeni.



At a news conference in New Delhi on Sunday, President Obama said that his administration would “continue to go after high-value targets inside of Yemen,” and would “continue to maintain the pressure that’s required to keep the American people safe.” The president is headed to Saudi Arabia to pay his respects after the death of King Abdullah and the ascension to the throne of King Salman.


A C.I.A. spokesman declined to comment.


Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, on Monday echoed the president, responding to reports that the fall of Yemen’s American-backed government had led to a suspension of American counterterrorism operations. “We will continue to hunt A.Q.A.P. wherever they are,” Colonel Warren said, referring to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.


Mr. Hadi and his government quit en masse on Thursday, after a siege inside the palace by Houthi fighters, who are backed by Iran. The toppling of the Hadi government had raised questions about the American counterterrorism efforts, but the Houthis also oppose Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, leading some American officials to speculate privately that the Houthi takeover may not necessarily signal the end of American efforts.


But the American Embassy in Sana, the Yemeni capital, on Monday announced that it was closing to the public until further notice because of security concerns.


The Houthi’s Expansion


In early 2014 Shiite insurgents known as Houthis consolidated control over Yemen’s Saada Province. In recent months, they have expanded their influence. In some areas, they have established checkpoints and have some control.





SAADA PROVINCE


Controlled by Houthis




Areas where Al Qaeda is able to operate.




SHABWA PROVINCE


Qaeda stronghold




Southern Yemen was a separate country until 1990. Rebels closed the country’s main port in Aden and shut the border between the north and south last week, raising concerns about secession.




Houthis have influence


or are able to operate.






Areas where Al Qaeda is able to operate.




SAADA PROVINCE


Controlled by Houthis




SHABWA


PROVINCE


Qaeda


stronghold




Areas where Al Qaeda is able to operate.




Houthis have


influence or are


able to operate.












Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1yn9S4p

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