IbnAlwaled
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Last time I heard it was Pakistan, unless you have any updates on that.
Drone Strikes in Yemen
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darkinsky
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if thats the case america would have attacked pakistan not afghanistan, but even afghanistan is not the source
America is not perfect but we believe they make the best choices and Indians will always support America no matter what.
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darkinsky
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an indian will say this because american and indian relations are improving, what you believe is not being neutral but being sympathetic because of relations
i would rather like to see a view of an iranian
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Airstrike kills senior al-Qaida leader in Yemen
By BY AHMED AL-HAJ, Associated Press – 21 minutes ago
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — An airstrike Sunday killed a top al-Qaida leader on the FBI's most wanted list for his role in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole warship, Yemeni officials said. The airstrike resembled earlier U.S. drone attacks, but the U.S. did not immediately confirm it.
Fahd al-Quso was hit by a missile as he stepped out of his vehicle, along with another al-Qaida operative in the southern Shabwa province, Yemeni military officials said. They were speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with military regulations.
The airstrike came as the U.S. and Yemen cooperate in a battle against al-Qaida in southern Yemen.
Al-Quso, 37, was on the FBI's most wanted list, with a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. He was indicted in the U.S. for his role in the 2000 bombing in the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen, in which 17 American sailors were killed and 39 injured.
He served more than five years in a Yemeni prison for his role in the attack and was released in 2007. He briefly escaped prison in 2003 but later turned himself in to serve the rest of his sentence.
A telephone text message claiming to be from al-Qaida media arm confirmed al-Quso was killed in the strike.
Al-Quso was also one of the most senior al-Qaida leaders publicly linked to the 2009 Christmas airliner attack. He has allegedly met with the suspected bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in Yemen before he left on his way to execute his failed bombing over Detroit.
In December 2010, al-Quso was designated a global terrorist by the State Department, an indication that his role in al-Qaida's Yemen branch had grown more prominent.
Local Yemeni official Abu Bakr bin Farid and the Yemeni Embassy in Washington confirmed al-Quso was killed in Rafd, a remote mountain valley in Shabwa. It is the area where many of al-Qaida leaders are believed to have taken cover, including the U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, killed in a U.S. airstrike in Yemen last year.
Yemeni government officials reported that Al-Quso and al-Awlaki were killed in an airstrike in 2009 in Rafd, but they both resurfaced alive.
Al-Quso was known for his ability to move in disguise. He was from the same tribe as al-Awlaki, and local tribesmen said he was a close aide. He studied ultraconservative Salafi Islam as a teenager in northern Yemen, then returned home to learn welding.
The White House and the State Department had no immediate comment.
Yemen's government has been waging an offensive on al-Qaida militants, who have taken advantage of the country's political turmoil over the last year to expand their hold in the south.
The new Yemeni president has promised improved cooperation with the U.S. to combat the militants. On Saturday, he said the fight against al-Qaida is in its early stages.
Al-Quso's association with al-Qaida dated back more than a decade, when he met with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Bin Laden allegedly told him to "eliminate the infidels from the Arabian Peninsula."
From there he rose through the ranks. He was assigned in Aden to videotape the 1998 suicide bombing of the USS Cole, but he fell asleep.
Despite the lapse, the local leader, Nasser al-Wahishi, declared him the regional leader in Aden. He was also believed to have played a prominent role in al-Qaida's attack and capture last year of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province. Government troops are trying to drive al-Qaida out of Zinjibar.
The Associated Press: Airstrike kills senior al-Qaida leader in Yemen
By BY AHMED AL-HAJ, Associated Press – 21 minutes ago
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — An airstrike Sunday killed a top al-Qaida leader on the FBI's most wanted list for his role in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole warship, Yemeni officials said. The airstrike resembled earlier U.S. drone attacks, but the U.S. did not immediately confirm it.
Fahd al-Quso was hit by a missile as he stepped out of his vehicle, along with another al-Qaida operative in the southern Shabwa province, Yemeni military officials said. They were speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with military regulations.
The airstrike came as the U.S. and Yemen cooperate in a battle against al-Qaida in southern Yemen.
Al-Quso, 37, was on the FBI's most wanted list, with a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. He was indicted in the U.S. for his role in the 2000 bombing in the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen, in which 17 American sailors were killed and 39 injured.
He served more than five years in a Yemeni prison for his role in the attack and was released in 2007. He briefly escaped prison in 2003 but later turned himself in to serve the rest of his sentence.
A telephone text message claiming to be from al-Qaida media arm confirmed al-Quso was killed in the strike.
Al-Quso was also one of the most senior al-Qaida leaders publicly linked to the 2009 Christmas airliner attack. He has allegedly met with the suspected bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in Yemen before he left on his way to execute his failed bombing over Detroit.
In December 2010, al-Quso was designated a global terrorist by the State Department, an indication that his role in al-Qaida's Yemen branch had grown more prominent.
Local Yemeni official Abu Bakr bin Farid and the Yemeni Embassy in Washington confirmed al-Quso was killed in Rafd, a remote mountain valley in Shabwa. It is the area where many of al-Qaida leaders are believed to have taken cover, including the U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, killed in a U.S. airstrike in Yemen last year.
Yemeni government officials reported that Al-Quso and al-Awlaki were killed in an airstrike in 2009 in Rafd, but they both resurfaced alive.
Al-Quso was known for his ability to move in disguise. He was from the same tribe as al-Awlaki, and local tribesmen said he was a close aide. He studied ultraconservative Salafi Islam as a teenager in northern Yemen, then returned home to learn welding.
The White House and the State Department had no immediate comment.
Yemen's government has been waging an offensive on al-Qaida militants, who have taken advantage of the country's political turmoil over the last year to expand their hold in the south.
The new Yemeni president has promised improved cooperation with the U.S. to combat the militants. On Saturday, he said the fight against al-Qaida is in its early stages.
Al-Quso's association with al-Qaida dated back more than a decade, when he met with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Bin Laden allegedly told him to "eliminate the infidels from the Arabian Peninsula."
From there he rose through the ranks. He was assigned in Aden to videotape the 1998 suicide bombing of the USS Cole, but he fell asleep.
Despite the lapse, the local leader, Nasser al-Wahishi, declared him the regional leader in Aden. He was also believed to have played a prominent role in al-Qaida's attack and capture last year of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province. Government troops are trying to drive al-Qaida out of Zinjibar.
The Associated Press: Airstrike kills senior al-Qaida leader in Yemen
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US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters
By BILL ROGGIO, May 10, 2012
The US killed eight al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in an airstrike today in the terrorist-controlled city of Jaar in Abyan province.
The early morning strike by the remotely piloted Predators or Reapers targeted a convoy that is thought to have been transporting senior leaders of Ansar al Sharia, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's political front, according to CNN. No senior leaders have been identified as being killed.
In addition to the strike that hit a convoy, The Associated Press reported that an airstrike leveled a home that housed five "militants." Among those reported killed was "a senior member of the terror network in charge of armament." It is unclear if the strike was carried out by US or Yemeni aircraft. Yemeni warplanes are said to have been conducting strikes in Jaar as well.
Jaar is a known stronghold for AQAP, and US drones struck in Jaar twice in March. One strike targeted a a weapons storage depot on Jabal Khanfar, a hill that overlooks the city. AQAP was moving weapons, including tanks, that had been seized during raids on Yemeni Army bases outside of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan.
Today's strike takes place just four days after the US killed senior AQAP leader Fahd al Quso in a drone attack in Shabwa province. Quso, who has been described as AQAP's external operations chief, was involved in numerous terrorist attacks, including the 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 US sailors. The US obtained the information leading to Quso from a Saudi operative who had penetrated AQAP.
Read more: US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters - The Long War Journal
By BILL ROGGIO, May 10, 2012
The US killed eight al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in an airstrike today in the terrorist-controlled city of Jaar in Abyan province.
The early morning strike by the remotely piloted Predators or Reapers targeted a convoy that is thought to have been transporting senior leaders of Ansar al Sharia, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's political front, according to CNN. No senior leaders have been identified as being killed.
In addition to the strike that hit a convoy, The Associated Press reported that an airstrike leveled a home that housed five "militants." Among those reported killed was "a senior member of the terror network in charge of armament." It is unclear if the strike was carried out by US or Yemeni aircraft. Yemeni warplanes are said to have been conducting strikes in Jaar as well.
Jaar is a known stronghold for AQAP, and US drones struck in Jaar twice in March. One strike targeted a a weapons storage depot on Jabal Khanfar, a hill that overlooks the city. AQAP was moving weapons, including tanks, that had been seized during raids on Yemeni Army bases outside of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan.
Today's strike takes place just four days after the US killed senior AQAP leader Fahd al Quso in a drone attack in Shabwa province. Quso, who has been described as AQAP's external operations chief, was involved in numerous terrorist attacks, including the 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 US sailors. The US obtained the information leading to Quso from a Saudi operative who had penetrated AQAP.
Read more: US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters - The Long War Journal
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U.S. launches airstrike in Yemen as new details surface about bomb plot
By Greg Miller and Karen DeYoung, Thursday, May 10, 8:06 PM
The United States launched airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday that killed as many as seven militants, the second American missile attack in the country since the CIA and other spy agencies disrupted an al-Qaeda airline bomb plot, U.S. officials said.
The strike came as new details surfaced about the foiling of the plot, including the disclosure that the operative who posed as a willing suicide bomber and later turned the device over to authorities was a British citizen, according to Western officials.
The foiled underwear bomb plot in Yemen serves as a stark reminder of al-Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP's, primary mission - bring down an American plane, reports John Miller.
The CIA declined to comment on any aspect of the mission or the airstrike. But officials confirmed details about the operative’s background, including that he held a British passport, and did not dispute accounts in the British press about his recruitment by MI5, that country’s equivalent of the FBI.
Officials said the operative had been in place for months and had gained the confidence of senior al-Qaeda figures, who sought to take advantage of his Western passport and other travel documents.
A Western intelligence official described the operation as a “joint venture” that relied on cooperation among multiple agencies to put the operative in position to penetrate al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP.
After taking possession of the bomb, the operative turned it over to Saudi handlers in Yemen before leaving the country. The device is in FBI custody in the United States and is being examined to determine whether it would have been detected by airport security systems.
The operative was among a network of informants in Yemen working on behalf of the CIA as well as the Saudi and Yemeni spy services. The informants have provided intelligence used in targeting for an escalating campaign of U.S. drone strikes.
The latest strikes, aimed at al-Qaeda operatives in southern Yemen, bring the total this year to at least 15, about as many as in the previous 10 years combined. U.S. officials said it was too early to determine whether any high-value targets had been killed in the Thursday attack and declined to say whether it had been carried out by the CIA or the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, which also patrols Yemen with armed drones and conventional aircraft.
A strike Sunday killed a senior operations leader in AQAP, Fahd al-Quso, who is thought to have been involved in the airline plot and was wanted for his role in the 2000 bombing of a U.S. warship on Yemen’s shore, U.S. officials said.
The bombmaker suspected of designing the latest device, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, has eluded U.S. and Yemeni authorities.
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Thursday that disclosures about the bomb plot have hurt intelligence efforts and that he supports the decision by Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. to open an investigation into the leaks.
To counter the al-Qaeda threat, “you have to protect” the agents who are used to penetrate such organizations, Panetta said, “and you have to protect the confidence” that foreign intelligence services have in their collaborations with the CIA.
Panetta also defended the administration’s assertions that it has weakened AQAP, despite the al-Qaeda affiliate’s expansion in southern Yemen over the past year and its ability to continue to plot attacks against the United States.
“We have been very successful at going after the leadership,” Panetta said. “But, you know, they are a threat.”
U.S. launches airstrike in Yemen as new details surface about bomb plot - The Washington Post
By Greg Miller and Karen DeYoung, Thursday, May 10, 8:06 PM
The United States launched airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday that killed as many as seven militants, the second American missile attack in the country since the CIA and other spy agencies disrupted an al-Qaeda airline bomb plot, U.S. officials said.
The strike came as new details surfaced about the foiling of the plot, including the disclosure that the operative who posed as a willing suicide bomber and later turned the device over to authorities was a British citizen, according to Western officials.
The foiled underwear bomb plot in Yemen serves as a stark reminder of al-Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP's, primary mission - bring down an American plane, reports John Miller.
The CIA declined to comment on any aspect of the mission or the airstrike. But officials confirmed details about the operative’s background, including that he held a British passport, and did not dispute accounts in the British press about his recruitment by MI5, that country’s equivalent of the FBI.
Officials said the operative had been in place for months and had gained the confidence of senior al-Qaeda figures, who sought to take advantage of his Western passport and other travel documents.
A Western intelligence official described the operation as a “joint venture” that relied on cooperation among multiple agencies to put the operative in position to penetrate al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP.
After taking possession of the bomb, the operative turned it over to Saudi handlers in Yemen before leaving the country. The device is in FBI custody in the United States and is being examined to determine whether it would have been detected by airport security systems.
The operative was among a network of informants in Yemen working on behalf of the CIA as well as the Saudi and Yemeni spy services. The informants have provided intelligence used in targeting for an escalating campaign of U.S. drone strikes.
The latest strikes, aimed at al-Qaeda operatives in southern Yemen, bring the total this year to at least 15, about as many as in the previous 10 years combined. U.S. officials said it was too early to determine whether any high-value targets had been killed in the Thursday attack and declined to say whether it had been carried out by the CIA or the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, which also patrols Yemen with armed drones and conventional aircraft.
A strike Sunday killed a senior operations leader in AQAP, Fahd al-Quso, who is thought to have been involved in the airline plot and was wanted for his role in the 2000 bombing of a U.S. warship on Yemen’s shore, U.S. officials said.
The bombmaker suspected of designing the latest device, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, has eluded U.S. and Yemeni authorities.
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Thursday that disclosures about the bomb plot have hurt intelligence efforts and that he supports the decision by Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. to open an investigation into the leaks.
To counter the al-Qaeda threat, “you have to protect” the agents who are used to penetrate such organizations, Panetta said, “and you have to protect the confidence” that foreign intelligence services have in their collaborations with the CIA.
Panetta also defended the administration’s assertions that it has weakened AQAP, despite the al-Qaeda affiliate’s expansion in southern Yemen over the past year and its ability to continue to plot attacks against the United States.
“We have been very successful at going after the leadership,” Panetta said. “But, you know, they are a threat.”
U.S. launches airstrike in Yemen as new details surface about bomb plot - The Washington Post
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US drone strikes kill 11 AQAP fighters
By BILL ROGGIO, May 12, 2012
US drones killed 11 al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters, including an Egyptian, in a pair of strikes in central Yemen today. The US has now launched three airstrikes in Yemen in three days.
An Egyptian fighter, who was not named, was among six AQAP members killed in the first strike in an area of Marib province close to Shabwa, according to The Associated Press. Five more AQAP fighters were killed when the unmanned Predators or Reapers fired missiles at a car traveling in Marib. No senior leaders have been reported killed in the strikes.
Egyptian fighters have been targeted in previous US strikes in Yemen. Last month, Abu Musab al Masri, an Egyptian jihadist who fought alongside AQAP, was killed along with several other foreign fighters in a US drone strike in the Karma area near Azzan in Shabwa province. An Egyptian known as Abu Ayman was targeted in a strike in January 2010, but survived. And Ibrahim al Bana, AQAP's media emir, was targeted in the October 2011 strike that killed Abdulrahman al Awlaki; Bana survived the strike.
The US has conducted three drone strikes in Marib province so far this year. The province has been a battleground between AQAP and government forces. Marib is one of several provinces with a strong AQAP presence and is known to host terror training camps.
US strikes in Yemen
Today's strikes in Marib are the third and fourth that are confirmed to have been carried out by the US in Yemen this month. Other recent airstrikes are believed to have been carried out by the US also, but little evidence has emerged to directly link the attacks to the US. The last strike took place on May 10; eight fighters were killed in the AQAP-controlled city of Jaar.
Read more: US drone strikes kill 11 AQAP fighters - The Long War Journal
The drone strikes in Yemen are completely in keeping with international law allowing a nation to exercise self-defense. Just as drone strikes in Pakistan are legal acts of self-defense.
By BILL ROGGIO, May 12, 2012
US drones killed 11 al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters, including an Egyptian, in a pair of strikes in central Yemen today. The US has now launched three airstrikes in Yemen in three days.
An Egyptian fighter, who was not named, was among six AQAP members killed in the first strike in an area of Marib province close to Shabwa, according to The Associated Press. Five more AQAP fighters were killed when the unmanned Predators or Reapers fired missiles at a car traveling in Marib. No senior leaders have been reported killed in the strikes.
Egyptian fighters have been targeted in previous US strikes in Yemen. Last month, Abu Musab al Masri, an Egyptian jihadist who fought alongside AQAP, was killed along with several other foreign fighters in a US drone strike in the Karma area near Azzan in Shabwa province. An Egyptian known as Abu Ayman was targeted in a strike in January 2010, but survived. And Ibrahim al Bana, AQAP's media emir, was targeted in the October 2011 strike that killed Abdulrahman al Awlaki; Bana survived the strike.
The US has conducted three drone strikes in Marib province so far this year. The province has been a battleground between AQAP and government forces. Marib is one of several provinces with a strong AQAP presence and is known to host terror training camps.
US strikes in Yemen
Today's strikes in Marib are the third and fourth that are confirmed to have been carried out by the US in Yemen this month. Other recent airstrikes are believed to have been carried out by the US also, but little evidence has emerged to directly link the attacks to the US. The last strike took place on May 10; eight fighters were killed in the AQAP-controlled city of Jaar.
Read more: US drone strikes kill 11 AQAP fighters - The Long War Journal
The drone strikes in Yemen are completely in keeping with international law allowing a nation to exercise self-defense. Just as drone strikes in Pakistan are legal acts of self-defense.
sur
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadith_of_Najd
Prophet Muhammad asks Allah to bless the areas of Makkah/Madinah and Sham and Yemen. When his companions said "Our Najd (Iraq) as well," he replied: "There will appear earthquakes and afflictions, and from there will come out the side of the head (e.g. horns) of Satan.
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The order from distant to near is:-
Najd(iraq)>>>Yemen>>>Shaam>>>Makkah/Madinah
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Yemen is being attacked by left-eyed great deceiver aka Dajjal; Shaam(Syria) will be next; but since these areas were prayed for, they won't take a hit like iraq ...
Prophet Muhammad asks Allah to bless the areas of Makkah/Madinah and Sham and Yemen. When his companions said "Our Najd (Iraq) as well," he replied: "There will appear earthquakes and afflictions, and from there will come out the side of the head (e.g. horns) of Satan.
=
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The order from distant to near is:-
Najd(iraq)>>>Yemen>>>Shaam>>>Makkah/Madinah
=
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Yemen is being attacked by left-eyed great deceiver aka Dajjal; Shaam(Syria) will be next; but since these areas were prayed for, they won't take a hit like iraq ...
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Yes, and you can thank French special forces for saving the Great Mosques of Makkah from desecration and destruction in 1979 (Grand Mosque Seizure - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Allah works in mysterious ways. In this case Allah has blessed the kuffar drones that strike the takfiris in Yemen. The USA drones are Allah's will.
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Pursuit of Terrorists Is Irreversible,’ Yemen’s President Says
By SCOTT SHANE, May 13, 2012
President Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, John O. Brennan, met with Yemen’s president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, on Sunday, a day after a stepped-up campaign of American airstrikes reportedly killed 11 militants allied with Al Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate.
The meeting in Sana, the Yemeni capital, reflected the close cooperation of the two countries in attacking the affiliate, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, whose latest plot to bomb a United States-bound airliner was foiled last month when the would-be suicide bomber turned out to be an agent working with Saudi and Western intelligence services. Mr. Hadi has supported the campaign against the terrorist group even more strongly than his predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, American officials say.
“The move toward the pursuit of terrorists is irreversible,” Mr. Hadi said on Sunday, praising the cooperation between Yemen’s military and its tribes, according to a statement from the Yemeni Embassy in Washington. Mr. Brennan “reiterated President Obama’s strong commitment to the steps taken by President Hadi to stabilize Yemen,” the statement said.
The thwarted plot, whose leak was the subject of a political flap on Sunday, has intensified the hunt for a Qaeda bomb maker, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, who is believed to have designed a new nonmetallic bomb as well as the explosives used in previous plots against aircraft in 2009 and 2010.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California and chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday” that the infiltration of Al Qaeda and disruption of the plot was “an impressive win for the C.I.A.” But she said there were now “prodigious efforts” to find Mr. Asiri.
“I am hopeful that we will be able to, candidly, kill this bomb maker and kill some of his other associates because there is a dangerous process in play at the present time,” Ms. Feinstein said.
The Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Department have worked closely on airstrikes against the Qaeda affiliate, mostly using drones. Officials on Sunday declined to say which agency was behind the two strikes on Saturday, which made four strikes in a week.
On the CBS News program “Face the Nation,” the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan, accused the White House of engaging in “premature chest-thumping” about the foiled plot in the face of C.I.A. efforts to keep it secret. He also said the administration had failed to brief the Congressional intelligence committees on the unfolding plot, as required by law.
But a spokesman for the National Security Council, Tommy Vietor, said Mr. Rogers’s assertion was “absolutely false.”
“The White House and C.I.A. worked together to try and prevent publication of this damaging leak,” Mr. Vietor said of the initial report on the plot by The Associated Press. “We then worked together to delay the story so that we could triage and protect operational equities.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/14/w...ts-is-irreversible-yemens-president-says.html
By SCOTT SHANE, May 13, 2012
President Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, John O. Brennan, met with Yemen’s president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, on Sunday, a day after a stepped-up campaign of American airstrikes reportedly killed 11 militants allied with Al Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate.
The meeting in Sana, the Yemeni capital, reflected the close cooperation of the two countries in attacking the affiliate, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, whose latest plot to bomb a United States-bound airliner was foiled last month when the would-be suicide bomber turned out to be an agent working with Saudi and Western intelligence services. Mr. Hadi has supported the campaign against the terrorist group even more strongly than his predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, American officials say.
“The move toward the pursuit of terrorists is irreversible,” Mr. Hadi said on Sunday, praising the cooperation between Yemen’s military and its tribes, according to a statement from the Yemeni Embassy in Washington. Mr. Brennan “reiterated President Obama’s strong commitment to the steps taken by President Hadi to stabilize Yemen,” the statement said.
The thwarted plot, whose leak was the subject of a political flap on Sunday, has intensified the hunt for a Qaeda bomb maker, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, who is believed to have designed a new nonmetallic bomb as well as the explosives used in previous plots against aircraft in 2009 and 2010.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California and chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday” that the infiltration of Al Qaeda and disruption of the plot was “an impressive win for the C.I.A.” But she said there were now “prodigious efforts” to find Mr. Asiri.
“I am hopeful that we will be able to, candidly, kill this bomb maker and kill some of his other associates because there is a dangerous process in play at the present time,” Ms. Feinstein said.
The Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Department have worked closely on airstrikes against the Qaeda affiliate, mostly using drones. Officials on Sunday declined to say which agency was behind the two strikes on Saturday, which made four strikes in a week.
On the CBS News program “Face the Nation,” the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan, accused the White House of engaging in “premature chest-thumping” about the foiled plot in the face of C.I.A. efforts to keep it secret. He also said the administration had failed to brief the Congressional intelligence committees on the unfolding plot, as required by law.
But a spokesman for the National Security Council, Tommy Vietor, said Mr. Rogers’s assertion was “absolutely false.”
“The White House and C.I.A. worked together to try and prevent publication of this damaging leak,” Mr. Vietor said of the initial report on the plot by The Associated Press. “We then worked together to delay the story so that we could triage and protect operational equities.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/14/w...ts-is-irreversible-yemens-president-says.html
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US drone strikes kill 7 AQAP fighters, 8 civilians in Yemen
By BILL ROGGIO, May 15, 2012
The US launched two drone strikes today in a city in southern Yemen that is currently under the control of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Seven AQAP fighters and eight civilians are reported to have been killed in the airstrikes.
The first strike targeted "a militant hideout" in Jaar, a city in Abyan province that is currently under al Qaeda control, CNN reported. The eight civilians were killed after they attempted to recover the bodies of AQAP fighters, apparently after the unmanned US Predators or Reapers launched a second salvo of missiles into the hideout.
The second strike targeted a home in Jaar that was thought to be used as an AQAP safe house. Three AQAP leaders are said to have been killed in that strike.
Jaar, which is just north of Zinjibar, is a known stronghold for AQAP, and US drones have now hit targets in the city five times this year. The US attacked AQAP in Jaar just five days ago, and killed 8 AQAP fighters. The drones also struck twice in March. One strike targeted a a weapons storage depot on Jabal Khanfar, a hill that overlooks the city. AQAP was moving weapons, including tanks, that had been seized during raids on Yemeni Army bases outside of Zinjibar.
Read more: US drone strikes kill 7 AQAP fighters, 8 civilians in Yemen - The Long War Journal
US airstrike kills 2 AQAP operatives in eastern Yemen
By BILL ROGGIO, May 17, 2012
The US killed two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in an airstrike in eastern Yemen today. The strike is the sixth by the US in the past week, and takes place as the Yemeni government is intensifying military operations against AQAP strongholds in the south.
Today's strike took place in the town of Shibam in eastern Hadramout province. Unmanned US drones, the Reapers or Predators, fired missiles at a vehicle as it was traveling in the eastern city, according to AFP. Two AQAP operatives were killed in the airstrike. The identities of those killed have not been disclosed.
Shibam is known to have an AQAP presence. On April 1, AQAP fighters overran an outpost in Shibam and brutally executed seven soldiers. The US has not conducted an airstrike in Hadramout province since the campaign began in late 2009.
The Yemeni military has launched an offensive against AQAP in Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, as well as in Jaar and Lawdar, two other cities in the southern province. More than 20,000 Yemeni troops, backed by US CIA and military advisers and air and naval forces, are involved in the offensive.
AQAP is in control of Zinjibar and Jaar, and had a strong presence outside of Lawdar, where fighting has been heavy. Yemeni troops are also said to have entered Zinjibar. More than 150 Yemenis are reported to have been killed over the past several days.
Read more: US airstrike kills 2 AQAP operatives in eastern Yemen - The Long War Journal
By BILL ROGGIO, May 15, 2012
The US launched two drone strikes today in a city in southern Yemen that is currently under the control of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Seven AQAP fighters and eight civilians are reported to have been killed in the airstrikes.
The first strike targeted "a militant hideout" in Jaar, a city in Abyan province that is currently under al Qaeda control, CNN reported. The eight civilians were killed after they attempted to recover the bodies of AQAP fighters, apparently after the unmanned US Predators or Reapers launched a second salvo of missiles into the hideout.
The second strike targeted a home in Jaar that was thought to be used as an AQAP safe house. Three AQAP leaders are said to have been killed in that strike.
Jaar, which is just north of Zinjibar, is a known stronghold for AQAP, and US drones have now hit targets in the city five times this year. The US attacked AQAP in Jaar just five days ago, and killed 8 AQAP fighters. The drones also struck twice in March. One strike targeted a a weapons storage depot on Jabal Khanfar, a hill that overlooks the city. AQAP was moving weapons, including tanks, that had been seized during raids on Yemeni Army bases outside of Zinjibar.
Read more: US drone strikes kill 7 AQAP fighters, 8 civilians in Yemen - The Long War Journal
US airstrike kills 2 AQAP operatives in eastern Yemen
By BILL ROGGIO, May 17, 2012
The US killed two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in an airstrike in eastern Yemen today. The strike is the sixth by the US in the past week, and takes place as the Yemeni government is intensifying military operations against AQAP strongholds in the south.
Today's strike took place in the town of Shibam in eastern Hadramout province. Unmanned US drones, the Reapers or Predators, fired missiles at a vehicle as it was traveling in the eastern city, according to AFP. Two AQAP operatives were killed in the airstrike. The identities of those killed have not been disclosed.
Shibam is known to have an AQAP presence. On April 1, AQAP fighters overran an outpost in Shibam and brutally executed seven soldiers. The US has not conducted an airstrike in Hadramout province since the campaign began in late 2009.
The Yemeni military has launched an offensive against AQAP in Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, as well as in Jaar and Lawdar, two other cities in the southern province. More than 20,000 Yemeni troops, backed by US CIA and military advisers and air and naval forces, are involved in the offensive.
AQAP is in control of Zinjibar and Jaar, and had a strong presence outside of Lawdar, where fighting has been heavy. Yemeni troops are also said to have entered Zinjibar. More than 150 Yemenis are reported to have been killed over the past several days.
Read more: US airstrike kills 2 AQAP operatives in eastern Yemen - The Long War Journal
