U.S. Marines Sent To Protect The U.S. Embassy In Yemen

U.S. Sends Marines To Yemen; New Clashes Outside Embassy -- Reuters

SANAA (Reuters) - The United States has sent a platoon of Marines to Yemen after demonstrators stormed the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa in protest over a film deemed to insult the Prophet Mohammad.

Yemeni security forces battled hundreds of youths on Friday, using batons, water cannon and teargas to beat back protesters, a day after demonstrators stormed the compound.

Four protesters were killed on Thursday and 48 people were wounded, including 10 members of the security contingent assigned to guard the embassy, the Interior Ministry said on its website. A further four people were injured on Friday, a Reuters witness said.

Read more ....

More News On U.S. Marines Being Sent To Protect The US Embassy In Yemen

Marines sent to Yemen to boost embassy security -- AP
Marines deployed to Yemen after anti-U.S. protesters try to invade embassy -- Washington Times
US sends team of Marines to Yemen: Pentagon -- AFP
Marines Sent to Yemen to Protect Embassy -- National Journal
US sends marines to Yemen embassy as turmoil spreads across Muslim world -- The Telegraph
Official: Marine team sent to Yemen -- Marine Times/AP
DOD Sends Marine Team to U.S. Embassy in Yemen -- US Department of Defense

Protestors Storm The U.S. Embassy In Yemen

Turmoil Spreads To U.S. Embassy In Yemen -- New York Times

SANA, Yemen — Turmoil in the Arab world linked to an American-made video denigrating the Prophet Muhammad spread on Thursday to Yemen, where hundreds of protesters attacked the American Embassy, two days after assailants killed the American ambassador in Libya and crowds tried to overrun the embassy compound in Cairo.

News reports also spoke of a separate protest in Tehran, where around 500 Iranians chanting “Death to America” tried to converge on the Swiss Embassy, which handles United States interests in the absence of formal diplomatic relations with Washington. Hundreds of police officers held the crowds back from the diplomatic compound, witnesses said.

Read more ....

More News On The Storming Of The U.S. Embassy In Yemen

Yemen protesters storm US embassy - live coverage -- The Guardian
US embassy in Yemen stormed - latest -- The Telegraph

Protesters storm US embassy in Yemen over anti-Islam film -- The Guardian
Protesters storm US Embassy in Yemen -- AP
U.S. embassy in Yemen stormed by angry mobs as protests over anti-Islam film spread -- National Post/Reuters
Yemeni protesters storm U.S. embassy in Sanaa-witnesses -- Reuters
Protesters angry over anti-Islam film storm US Embassy in Yemen -- FOX News
Yemen protesters storm US embassy before being expelled -- AFP
U.S. Embassy in Yemen beset by angry protesters -- CNN
Mob Attacks U.S. Embassy In Yemen As Clashes Spread Over Anti-Islam Film -- NPR
Protesters forced back after rushing walls of U.S. Embassy in Yemen -- CBS
Yemeni police drive protesters out of US embassy: AFP -- Ahram Online

U.S. Moves To Sanction Those Who Try To Undermine Political Stability In Yemen

President Obama Executive Order Gives Treasury Authority To Freeze Yemeni Assets In U.S. -- Washington Post

President Obama issued an executive order Wednesday giving the Treasury Department authority to freeze the U.S.-based assets of anyone who “obstructs” implementation of the administration-backed political transition in Yemen.

The unusual order, which administration officials said also targets U.S. citizens who engage in activity deemed to threaten Yemen’s security or political stability, is the first issued for Yemen that does not directly relate to counterterrorism.

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. Preparing To Impose Sanctions Against Those Who Undermine Yemen's Security

White House Targets Yemen Transition Obstructors With New Sanctions -- Wall Street Journal
Obama threatens sanctions against those who seek to undermine political stability in Yemen -- Washington Post/AP
Obama moves to sanction those seen as threat to Yemen -- AFP
Obama Said to Approve Order to Boost Yemeni Political Transition -- Bloomberg
U.S. to freeze assets to help Yemeni transition -- Reuters
The Unanswered Questions About America's Escalating Fight in Yemen -- Micah Zenko, The Atlantic

U.S. Covert War In Yemen To Escalate

White House Approves Broader Yemen Drone Campaign -- Washington Post

The United States has begun launching drone strikes against suspected al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen under new authority approved by President Obama that allows the CIA and the military to fire even when the identity of those who could be killed is not known, U.S. officials said.

The policy shift marks a significant expansion of the clandestine drone war against an al-Qaeda affiliate that has seized large ­pieces of territory in Yemen and is linked to a series of terrorist plots against the United States.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is a significant escalation in assisting Yemen in their war against Islamic extremists in their country. But while I am not surprised by this development, I am surprised that Congress and the media have gone Awol on this conflict. There is no debate or discussion on what we are getting ourselves into .... and worse .... this conflict .... and how the administration is reacting to it (covert war) .... is escalating into other countries.

America's War In Yemen Is Escalating

Obama's Escalating War In Yemen -- Salon

The Obama administration has in recent months intensified its bombing campaign in the unstable Gulf nation of Yemen, where Islamic militants have been the target of U.S. airstrikes for several years.

Just this month, a U.S. drone strike against militants in southern Yemen reportedly killed at least 50 people -- many of them civilians. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal quoted unnamed U.S. officials this week saying that the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula was "placing a higher priority on attacking the U.S. and Western targets overseas."

Read more ....

My Comment: Another story in which coverage from the U.S. main stream media is absent.

U.S. Drone War Shifting To Yemen

CIA Preparing Secret Drone Strikes in Yemen -- FOX News/Wall Street Journal

The Central Intelligence Agency is planning to use armed drones to target Al Qaeda militants in Yemen, where growing instability poses a national security threat.

A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the secret plan has been in the works for months, as leaders have eyed the power vacuum left by anti-government protests and an assassination attempt on Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Read more ....

My Comment: To move forward on such an operation tells me that the U.S./CIA must have an extensive network of assets on the ground (at least I hope that they do). With the Yemeni government in disarray, I would not be surprised if these strikes are going to intensify the conflict in the next few months.

U.S. 'Secret' War In Yemen Intensifying

Undated handout photo of the remote-controlled Predator B unmanned surveillance aircraft, which can fly for 20 hours up to 15,000 metres in the air. The United States has stepped up its attacks on militant suspects in Yemen with armed drones and fighter jets, according to a U.S. media report, amid a perilous power vacuum in the troubled country. Photograph by: Handout, Postmedia News

U.S. Is Intensifying A Secret Campaign Of Yemen Airstrikes -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has intensified the American covert war in Yemen, exploiting a growing power vacuum in the country to strike at militant suspects with armed drones and fighter jets, according to American officials.

The acceleration of the American campaign in recent weeks comes amid a violent conflict in Yemen that has left the government in Sana, a United States ally, struggling to cling to power. Yemeni troops that had been battling militants linked to Al Qaeda in the south have been pulled back to the capital, and American officials see the strikes as one of the few options to keep the militants from consolidating power.

Read more ....

More News On U.S. Military Involvement In Yemen

U.S. intensifying covert war in Yemen: report -- Reuters
Report: U.S. steps up air strikes in Yemen -- CBS/AP
U.S. Ramping Up 'Secret Campaign' Of Airstrikes In Yemen, 'NYT' Says -- NPR
Report: US Intensifying Covert War in Yemen -- Voice of America
U.S. ups Yemen airstrikes with drones, fighter jets -- Vancouver Sun/AFP

The U.S. - Yemen Alliance In The War Against Terror

Yemen, America's Uneasy Ally In War On Terror -- CBS News/60 Minutes

(CBS) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid an unannounced visit to the Republic of Yemen this past week, a nominal U.S. ally that has been in and out of the news for the last decade: most of the news bad. It started with a bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in Aden harbor back in 2000.

Today, half the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay are from Yemen, and the last two al Qaeda attacks against the U.S. mainland have originated there. While the United States has been busy with military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, this remote, lawless country has now emerged as the main staging area for attacks against the west.

Read more ....

My Comment: A comprehensive look at Yemen's war against Islamic extremists .... and the U.S. involvement in this fight. Read it all.

Why Did Sec. Of State Clinton Make A Surprise Stop In Yemen

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) talks to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh at the Presidential Palace in Sanaa January 11, 2011. Reuters/Khaled Abdullah

Why Hillary Clinton Made A Surprise Stop In Yemen -- Christian Science Monitor

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Yemen's president today, as well as locals at a town-hall meeting, in a bid to demonstrate that US support extends beyond counterterrorism.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid an unannounced visit to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa today, highlighting the country's rising importance in US foreign policy despite a sometimes rocky relationship.

Ms. Clinton, the first US secretary of State to visit Yemen in more than 20 years, addressed the precarious balance between Washington’s counterterrorism needs and the Yemen’s domestic agenda, on which terrorism is but one concern. The country is also facing quickly depleting oil and water reserves, the Arab world's poorest economy, a southern secessionist movement and weak rule of law in its rural areas.

Read more ....

More News On Secretary Of State Clinton's Surprise Visit To Yemen

Clinton Backs Yemeni Efforts Against al-Qaida -- Voice of America
Clinton says U.S., Yemen face common al Qaeda threat -- Reuters
Hillary Clinton Visits an al Qaeda Hot Zone -- Time Magazine
Clinton makes unannounced visit to Yemen -- Washington Post
Clinton in Yemen to press counterterror efforts -- AP
Clinton says militants in Yemen an urgent U.S. concern -- Reuters
Clinton makes stop in Yemen -- CNN
Clinton in Yemen to press counterterror efforts -- Newsday
Hillary Clinton visits Yemen to discuss terror threat (VIDEO) -- Global Post
Clinton visits Yemen in move to mend ties -- Financial Times
Yemen downplays al-Qaida concerns -- UPI
Clinton Visits Yemen, Seeking Broader Ties -- New York Times
Clinton calls on Yemen to take fight to al Qa'eda -- The National

What Is The Use Of Deploying Drones When You Have No Intelligence On The Ground

U.S. Deploying Drones In Yemen To Hunt For Al-Qaeda, Has Yet To Fire Missiles -- Washington Post

The United States has deployed Predator drones to hunt for al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen for the first time in years but has not fired missiles from the unmanned aircraft because it lacks solid intelligence on the insurgents' whereabouts, senior U.S. officials said.

The use of the drones is part of a campaign against an al-Qaeda branch that has claimed responsibility for near-miss attacks on U.S. targets that could have had catastrophic results, including the recent plot to place parcels packed with explosives on cargo planes.

Read more ....

My Comment: The intelligence on the ground may not be there now .... but I suspect that the CIA and other intelligence services are quickly building up their networks that will eventually help them find the targets that would justify such a deployment of drones.

Yemen Admits That The U.S. Has Conducted Airstrikes Against Al Qaeda In Their Country

Yemen's Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Kurbi.
The Minister said the US strikes were suspended in December. Press TV

Yemen: U.S. Has Carried Out Airstrikes In Yemen -- CNN

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- The United States has carried out airstrikes in Yemen, Yemen's foreign minister told a pan-Arab newspaper in an interview published Thursday, marking that government's first official confirmation of a U.S. military role in its fight against terrorism.

Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi told the Saudi-owned Al-Hayat newspaper that the air strikes ended in December because the "Yemeni government ascertained they weren't achieving results."

Al-Qirbi also told the newspaper that combating al Qaeda "is the responsibility of the security and counterterrorism forces in Yemen."

Read more ....

More News On Yemen Admitting The U.S. Airstrikes Have Occurred In their Country

Yemen FM confirms US strikes on Qaeda -- AFP
Yemen ended U.S. strikes at al-Qaida -- UPI
Sana'a admits US military role in Yemen -- Press TV (Iran)
U.S. Strikes on Al-Qaeda Targets in Yemen "Result in Nothing' – Al-Qirbi -- Yemen Post
FACTBOX-Security developments in Yemen -- Reuters
Yemen's al-Qaeda Fight Raises Complex Challenges for the U.S. -- Time Magazine

My Comment: I am not surprised that US airstrikes have occurred in Yemen .... I am surprised that Yemen had them stopped in December 2009. Considering how much the international threat level has risen because of Yemen in the past 6 months, I am sure there are many in Washington and elsewhere who may want to revisit this 'no-strike' order from the Yemeni Government.

America's Involvement In Yemen's Civil War Expanding

Pentagon To Funnel US Arms To Yemen To Fight al-Qaeda -- The Telegraph

The Pentagon has proposed a $1.2 billion (£778m) military aid package to Yemen for its battle against al-Qaeda, sparking a warning from some US government quarters that the extra resources would be used in the country's civil wars.

The US State Department has reportedly raised concerns that with President Ali Abdullah Saleh facing rebellions in the north and south of the country he could divert the additional weaponry, coast patrol boats and aircraft from its intended purpose.

The terror threat from Yemen has escalated in the past 18 months, with estimates that about 300 al-Qaeda members or cells are operating there.

Read more ....

More News On U.S. Involvement In Yemen

U.S. commandos quietly train Yemeni military -- Washington Times
Aid proposal to counter Al-Qaida in Yemen divides officials -- Mercury News
Seeking Perfect Security in Yemen -- Paul Pillar, National Interest
Yemen more dangerous than Afghanistan? -- UPI

U.S. Special Forces Advisers Are In Yemen

U.S. Commandos Quietly Train Yemeni Military -- Washington Times

Program part of wider effort to fight terror.

Seldom visible in the Yemeni mountains, the elite U.S. commandos training the Yemen's military represent the Obama administration's quest to fight terrorism without inflaming anti-American sentiment.

That balancing act has become an administration trademark, funneling millions of dollars in aid and low-profile military trainers to countries such as Pakistan and Yemen in order to take on a more diverse, independent and scattered al Qaeda network.

Read more ....

Update: Aid proposal to counter Al-Qaida in Yemen divides officials -- Mercury News/New York Times

My Comment: To counter the insurgency and Al Qaeda's presence in the countryside, Yemen will need more than just special forces. This is causing justifiable doubts in Washington .... Yemen has all the hallmarks of another Somalia or Afghanistan, and this White House has little if any interest to get stuck in another quagmire.