U.S. steps up drone strikes in Yemen

Yemenis allege that their President has given U.S. a blank cheque

August 10, 2013 11:08 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 09:33 pm IST - SANA’A:

The U.S. has stepped up the intensity of its drone strikes on suspected al-Qaeda targets in Yemen, carrying out eight strikes in two weeks in response to fears of a terror attack in the capital, Sana’a.

Yemeni officials said at least seven Saudi Arabian militants were among those killed in the three strikes on Thursday, as the country was celebrating Id at the end of Ramadan.

Since July 27, drone attacks have killed 34 suspected militants, according to an Associated Press tally. The first on the latest wave of drone strikes occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Wadi Abeeda area of the central province of Marib. Six people, who locals said were al-Qaeda militants, were killed.

Wadi Abeeda, simmering with anti-government sentiment and, despite its proximity to the provincial capital, largely bereft of any meaningful government presence, has long been used as a refuge by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)-linked militants, according to tallies kept by the Washington-based thinktank New America foundation. The area, a smattering of oasis-fed farms surrounded by a harsh, desolate desert, has experienced four strikes this year.

“We’re fed up,” said Nasser Muhtam, the head of a Mareb-based NGO. “Our houses are shaking and our children are scared during the morning of Id, when we should be celebrating.” The second and third strikes occurred in the far eastern province of Hadramawt, hours apart, miles away from each other, east of the provincial capital of Mukalla. Yemeni officials said the dead were all al-Qaeda-linked militants, but definitive identification was not forthcoming. In the bulk of strikes, the bodies of those killed are burned beyond recognition.

On Wednesday, Yemeni authorities said they had foiled a plot by al-Qaeda to seize Mukalla, a key port and the Yemen’s fifth largest city, as well as two major oil and gas export terminals.

The latest attacks come after the announcement of a raised terror alert level from Yemeni and U.S officials, tied to intercepted communications between al-Qaeda emir Ayman al-Zawahiri and AQAP head Nasir al-Wuhayshi. Fears of an al-Qaeda attack have shuttered western embassies in the Yemeni capital; prompting the United States and United Kingdom to evacuate them of non-essential staff; while spurring Yemeni security forces to increase their presence in the capital and a series of flyovers by small, unarmed spy aircraft in the skies of Sana’a.

The reported terror threat coincided with the end of a state visit by Yemeni President Abdo Rabbu Mansour Hadi to the United States, where he was received by U.S. President Barack Obama in the Oval Office and publically feted by top American officials like secretary of state John Kerry and secretary of defence Chuck Hagel, who hailed him as a visionary and a crucial U.S. partner. Mr. Hadi returned to Sana’a this week after a stopover in Saudi Arabia to meet King Abdullah.

But some in the Yemeni government have criticised the American response to the intelligence interceptions. Yemen’s Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi condemned the U.S. and U.K.’s decision to evacuate the missions, saying the move “undermined the exceptional co-operation between Yemen and the international coalition against terrorism”.

For many Yemenis, however, it’s their own government that deserves criticism. The Yemeni government has long granted permission for the United States to carry out drone strikes on its territory and, in a break with his predecessor, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Mr. Hadi has publically acknowledged that fact and indicated his support for the strikesLongstanding grumbling alleging that Mr. Hadi has delivered the Americans a blank cheque to strike the country at will have grown comparatively open, with some going as far as to cast the Yemeni leader as little more than an American puppet. The drone strikes may be killing militants. But most here stress that that’s just one of their results. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2013

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.