Drone Strikes In Yemen Approved By Obama Administration

Drone Strikes In Yemen Approved By Obama Administration

The Obama administration recently gave the authorization for the resumption of drone strikes in Yemen. The strikes are aimed at disrupting the terrorism plot that resulted to the closure of US embassies in the Middle East and Africa.

The latest campaign ended the period of no drone activity in the Arabian Peninsula. However, it remains uncertain if the strikes contained attacks on Western targets US officials indicated. The officials conceded that there were no indications that senior operatives of al-Qaeda in Yemen were killed in the strikes.

A senior official indicated that the new strikes were part of a synchronized response to reports that concerned counterterrorism officials.

The US State Department emphasized the approach with the drone strikes in Yemen. It announced the evacuation of the US Embassy in Sanaa and advising US citizens to leave Yemen. The State Department indicated that non-emergency personnel will be removed due to a high security threat level in the country.

Other embassies in the region were also closed by the US government. An affiliate of the terrorist group, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, is based in Yemen.

However, the Yemeni government rebuked the decision of the State Department, indicating that the evacuation was in the interest of the extremists. It also weakened the cooperation between the Yemeni government and the worldwide alliance against terrorism.

The decision to launch drone strikes in Yemen shows a new insight into the counterterrorism strategy of the Obama administration. The change comes after restrictive guidelines were imposed by President Obama. However, these rules may have changed as new drone strikes in Yemen were allowed due to the elevated threat.

The threat came after communication between Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, and Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the al-Qaeda leader in Yemen, was intercepted. It increased apprehensions on an upcoming attack on Western targets.

Although no targets were specified in the intercepted communication, the embassies in the region were closed since they were considered as possible targets. Military personnel were stationed in Yemen to provide support for the embassy, according to the Pentagon.

Sanaa residents have reportedly heard and seen low-flying aircraft, which are believed to be US drones. The drone strikes in Yemen are launched through a US military base in Djibouti.

Posted by James Fried on Thursday August 08 2013, 6:57 AM EST. Ref: Washington Post. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0