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C.I.A. Strike, First Since Yemen Upheaval, Kills 3 Qaeda Fighters, Officials Say U.S. Drone Kills 3 Qaeda Operatives in Yemen, Continuing Policy on Strikes
(about 5 hours later)
WASHINGTON — A C.I.A. drone strike on Monday on a car in eastern Yemen, the first since the resignation of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, killed three suspected Qaeda fighters, American officials said, in a signal that the United States will continue its targeted killing operations in the country despite the apparent takeover by Houthi fighters. WASHINGTON — A C.I.A. drone strike in Yemen, the first since the resignation of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, killed three suspected Qaeda fighters on Monday, American officials said, in a signal that the United States will continue its counterterrorism operations there despite the apparent takeover by Houthi fighters.
The strike took place in the central province of Marib, where a missile hit a vehicle carrying three men near the boundary with the province of Shabwa, which is believed to be a stronghold of Al Qaeda. The Central Intelligence Agency operates a drone base in southern Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen. A missile launched from a drone struck a car in which the three men were riding in the central province of Marib, near the border with the province of Shabwa, which is believed to be a Qaeda stronghold. The C.I.A. operates a drone base in southern Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi government is a strong supporter of American strikes against the group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. A senior American official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, declined to confirm the names of the victims. A C.I.A. spokesman declined to comment.
The Associated Press quoted a Qaeda member who identified the three killed fighters as Awaid al-Rashidi, a Saudi, and Abdel Aziz al-Sanaani and Mohammed al-Jahmi, both Yemeni. But a member of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula identified the men killed as Awaid Al-Rashidi, a Saudi citizen in his early 30s who spent years in a Saudi prison before he was released and joined Al Qaeda in Yemen; Abdullah Khaled al-Zindani, a Yemeni citizen from Sana, who with Mr. Rashidi was “active in anti-Houthis activities;” and Mohammed Toiman al-Jahmi, a Yemeni teenager whose father and brother were previously killed in American drone strikes. The Al Qaeda member did not know Mr. Jahmi’s age but said that he was a member of the terrorist group.
At a news conference in New Delhi on Sunday, President Obama said that his administration would “continue to go after high-value targets inside of Yemen,” and would “continue to maintain the pressure that’s required to keep the American people safe.” The president is headed to Saudi Arabia to pay his respects after the death of King Abdullah and the ascension to the throne of King Salman. The strike is the latest episode in the chaos that has engulfed Yemen for months, pitting Mr. Hadi against the Iranian-backed Houthis. Mr. Hadi resigned last week after the Houthis lay siege to the capital, demanding greater political influence for their minority group than Mr. Hadi was willing to allow.
A C.I.A. spokesman declined to comment. Mr. Hadi’s resignation raised questions about whether American counterterrorism efforts in Yemen could continue, but the Houthis also oppose Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, leading some American officials to speculate privately that the Houthi takeover may not necessarily signal the end of American efforts.
Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, on Monday echoed the president, responding to reports that the fall of Yemen’s American-backed government had led to a suspension of American counterterrorism operations. “We will continue to hunt A.Q.A.P. wherever they are,” Colonel Warren said, referring to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Monday’s strike was a clear demonstration that American counterterrorism efforts have not abated. At a news conference in New Delhi on Sunday, President Obama said that his administration would “continue to go after high-value targets inside of Yemen,” and will “continue to maintain the pressure that’s required to keep the American people safe.” Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, on Monday echoed the president, responding to reports that the fall of the Yemen’s U.S.-backed government had led to a suspension of American operations there. “We will continue to hunt A.Q.A.P. wherever they are,” Colonel Warren said,
Mr. Hadi and his government quit en masse on Thursday, after a siege inside the palace by Houthi fighters, who are backed by Iran. The toppling of the Hadi government had raised questions about the American counterterrorism efforts, but the Houthis also oppose Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, leading some American officials to speculate privately that the Houthi takeover may not necessarily signal the end of American efforts. There was no official reaction from the Houthis to the American strike, but one member of the movement, who is close to the leaders of the group, said “we are against any American plane penetrating our airspace.”
But the American Embassy in Sana, the Yemeni capital, on Monday announced that it was closing to the public until further notice because of security concerns. He added: “But they killed militants who were probably planning an attack against us in Marib.” He did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The turmoil in Yemen comes at a particularly fraught time, just two weeks after A.Q.A.P. claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks in Paris on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. The French attacks have raised the level of concern about the group, and American officials say they are worried the group could exploit the power vacuum in Yemen.
There are also rising fears that the current political standoff could lead to the partition of Yemen. Alarmed by the Houthi’s expansion, the southern separatist movement, Heraq, has been seizing territory and some tribes are now more open to working with Al Qaeda, giving the group a larger pool from which to recruit.
“Al Qaeda in Yemen tried to strike a deal with tribes in many places before, but they failed,” said Jamal Benomar, the United Nations envoy to Yemen. “Now, some tribes are fighting along with them.”