From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Jan 27 2010 - 14:54:39 EST
US runs 'secret' military operations in Yemen
Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:56:40 GMT
Washington has involved in secret joint operations in Yemen after President
Barack Obama approved US military and intelligence teams to be dispatched to
the country, the Washington Post revealed Wednesday.
The operations begun six weeks ago, involving troops from the US military's
clandestine Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), whose main mission is
tracking and killing suspected terrorists, the Post reported.
The American agents are helping the Yemeni army develop tactics and
providing Sana'a forces with electronic and video surveillance, as well as
three-dimensional terrain maps, the report said.
In addition to "highly sensitive intelligence," the US is sending weapons
and munitions to be used against what the White House describes as an
al-Qaeda cell operating in the Arabian Peninsula, it added.
In late December, President Obama even approved a strike against a compound
in southern Yemen where US citizen Anwar al-Aulaqi was allegedly meeting
with regional "al-Qaeda leaders," the report added.
"We are very pleased with the direction this is going," the Washington Post
quoted an unnamed senior administration official as saying of the
cooperation with Yemen.
Washington has also been sending a steady stream of high-ranking officials
to visit Sana'a, including the rarely seen JSOC commander Vice Adm. William
McRaven, White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan, and head of US
Central Command Gen. David Petraeus.
Earlier in January, the White House pledged $121 million in aid to help the
unpopular Yemeni government crush uprisings.
However, amid rising concerns over the US role in military operations in
Yemen, the government continues to its offensive against the country's Shia
minorities in the north.
Backed by the Saudi military, the operation has left hundreds killed and
tens of thousands displaced in the battle zone, prompting repeated warnings
of a humanitarian disaster in the making from international organizations.
Pakistan joins war against Houthis in Yemen: Report
Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:59:45 GMT
Pakistan has reportedly sent an army combat unit to Yemen to join the war
against the Shia fighters in the country's north.
An informed source with the Pakistani daily Jang has said that a 300-strong
unit of Special Forces has been deployed in Yemen.
US media reports say the US military and intelligence agencies are involved
in joint operations with Yemeni troops.
Yemen launched a military offensive against the Houthi fighters in the
northern Sa'ada Province last August. Saudi Arabia joined forces with the
Yemeni government in November.
Sana'a accuses the Shia fighters of violating terms of a ceasefire in 2009
by taking foreign visitors hostage.
The Houthis accuse the Yemeni government of violating their civil rights and
marginalizing them politically, economically, and religiously.
The Shia fighters say the offensives launched against the northern regions
mostly target residential areas and result in civilian casualties.
Islamabad's controversial decision is expected to cause public outrage in a
country, which is similarly targeted by indiscriminate missile attacks.
The Pakistani public holds regular demonstrations to condemn Washington's
drone attacks on remote tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
The US claims that the attacks are aimed at eliminating militant positions.
However, they usually result in civilian casualties.
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