Wake up. We are at war in Yemen. Drones, U.S. troops on the ground training Yemenis.

[cali]

We're heavily drone bombing in Yemen with the full backing of the U.S. backed Yemeni Government. Over the last 18 months or so there's been a dramatic intensification of the drone bombing and over the last 10 days there have been five drone attacks that we know of. We restarted military aid to Yemen last year and that includes U.S. troops on the ground doing training.

We are at war with Al-Qaida in Yemen, and yeah, it's a continuation of our endless war on terror.

So what's up? Well, Al-Qaida purportedly. I see no reason to doubt this. Lots of people scoff at the idea that A-Q is even functional and in most locations that's probably true, but they aren't having problems with recruitment and it takes little imagination to see why. It's a vicious circle. We're also after some bomb maker named Al-Asiri who we believe is in Yemen training more bomb makers.

Could this intensify further? Yes, of course it will. We're seeing that occur before our eyes. Whether you agree with it or not, it's happening.

<snip>

The intensified US focus on Yemen reflects at least in part the Yemeni Al Qaeda affiliate’s efforts not just to bring down the Yemeni government, but to strike the US on its soil. “AQAP has a particular track record of trying to attack the American homeland,” says Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington who advised the last four presidents on terrorism issues.

Several foiled plots of recent years – the underwear bomber in a plane over Detroit in 2009, the Chicago-bound package bombs of 2010 among them – emanated from AQAP.

That kind of activity, plus AQAP’s insurgency against the Yemeni government and its messianic and recruitment activity on the Internet, have drawn US attention and led to redoubled efforts to weaken the organization. US drone strikes in Yemen skyrocketed to 54 last year, compared with 15 in 2011, according to a database kept by Washington’s New America Foundation.

<snip>

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2013/0806/Yemen-drone-strike-and-US-evacuation-Signs-of-drone-war-intensification

<snip>

For puzzled Americans who've been told that al-Qaida is on the decline, the latest warnings raise questions about how successful America's war on terror has been and whether the terror group has been able to reorganize and reconstitute itself since bin Laden's death in May 2011.

And, although U.S. officials agreed a year ago to restart military aid to Yemen, it's unclear how much of the new aircraft and weapons have arrived. After aid to Yemen was frozen for some time, the U.S. military is once again on the ground there training Yemeni special operations forces and has delivered more than a dozen helicopters to the Yemeni military and provided training for them, U.S. defense officials said.

But other weapons and equipment are still in the pipeline, according to a Mideast official.

Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/08/state-dept-orders-evacuation-of-embassy-in-yemen-92343.html#ixzz2bHhvaLuZ

This is from last week:

US Department of Defense announces new military aid to Yemen

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel confirmed on Tuesday during a meeting with President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi that Washington would continue to support Yemen in its fight against terror by enhancing both the impoverished nation's military capability and its level of expertise through a tight collaboration involving the distribution of military equipment, training, rehabilitation and technology.
Yemen's long-standing partner against al-Qaeda, Washington suspended its military aid program in 2011 when the people rose against then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Once Yemen factions agreed on a political transition of power, the Pentagon resumed both its military and humanitarian assistance, as part of its reconstruction efforts.
Secretary of Defense Hagel told reporters, "Washington is keen to strengthen its relation and mutual cooperation with Yemen on various levels."
Earlier this month, Saba (Yemen state news agency) announced the White House was to boost Yemen's border guards efficiency through the delivery of 12 Seabird Sicre aircraft, all equipped with night vision and radioactive monitoring sensors as well as 100 military vehicles mounted with a state of the art integrated communication system.

<snip>

http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=7076

http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/dod-evacuates-non-essential-us-personnel-from-yemen-1.234047

[cali]

1. kick. I have no idea why this isn't of any interest to folks

I find it compelling What's going on? why this escalation of the war on terror?

[Puzzledtraveller]

4. The protests would be planned and we would have a sign up page for volunteers

if Romney was in office at the present moment.

[KoKo]

17. +1

[kenny blankenship]

12. Cali, we have ALWAYS been at war with Yemen.

Or rather, with the people of Yemen to be more exact. The government over there we like just fine, until we find one we like better.

Get the memos, read the memos.

[bullwinkle428]

2. NPR was discussing this earlier this morning. Sounds like the Yemeni people

are already pretty pissed off about the depth of U.S. involvement, and it will really get ratcheted up if we end up putting troops on the ground.

What a great idea - sowing the seeds for the next 9/11!

[cali]

3. I wish I'd caught that.

I suspect that this is an all out effort- doomed to fail- to destroy AQ. Al-Zawahiri has named some Yemen AQ member as his 2nd in command.

[G_j]

14. BBC also

people are not happy with the Drone strikes.

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. Report from Yemen last night on Newsnight:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b038bq3g/Newsnight_06_08_2013/

Starts at about 11 minutes - about 15 minutes long. There'll be more reports from this reporter this weekend.

[ProSense]

5. More info:

Letter from the President -- Regarding the War Powers Resolution

<...>

Yemen. The U.S. military has also been working closely with the Yemeni government to dismantle operationally and ultimately eliminate the terrorist threat posed by al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the most active and dangerous affiliate of al-Qa'ida today. Our joint efforts have resulted in direct action against a limited number of AQAP operatives and senior leaders in Yemen who posed a terrorist threat to the United States and our interests.

<...>

As noted in previous reports, the United States remains prepared to conduct maritime interception operations on the high seas in the areas of responsibility of each of the geographic combatant commands. These maritime operations are aimed at stopping the movement, arming, and financing of certain international terrorist groups, and also include operations aimed at stopping proliferation by sea of weapons of mass destruction and related materials. As detailed in my report of January 28, 2013, and at my direction, on January 23, 2013, a U.S. Navy warship with Yemeni Coast Guard personnel aboard entered Yemeni territorial waters, at the invitation of the Government of Yemen, to assist the Government of Yemen in intercepting and inspecting a vessel suspected of smuggling contraband into Yemen. Upon boarding and searching the vessel, a combined U.S. and Yemeni team discovered various conventional weapons and explosives, apparently of Iranian origin, concealed within the vessel. The vessel was escorted to Aden and turned over to the Yemeni Coast Guard on January 30, 2013.

<...>

As detailed in my report of December 14, 2012, the security forces that deployed to Libya on September 12, 2012, and the security forces deployed to Yemen on September 13, 2012, to support the security of U.S. personnel remain in place and will remain until the security situation no longer requires them. On May 17, 2013, approximately 30 additional U.S. forces deployed to Libya to further support the security of U.S. personnel in Libya.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/06/14/letter-president-regarding-war-powers-resolution

[cali]

6. and? what is your point?

that it's legal? that isn't particularly germane to the points I'm making or the questions raised by this escalation.

[ProSense]

8. You don't want more information about what the administration is doing?

The Afghanistan war is legal. Does that mean you can't oppose it and call for an end to it?

Why the aversion to more information?

[cali]

10. I don't have any aversion to more information, I simply wonder

what point you're making? Why the aversion to ever answering a simple question? You almost always answer with either questions or links. Why?

[ProSense]

13. My point was more info, see the post title.

"Why the aversion to ever answering a simple question?"

You want answers to questions that are based on reading things into the posts that are not there.

I don't answer questions based on straw men.

[geek tragedy]

7. Yemen = mini Afghanistan.

Gotta fight the terrorists, can't let them win, current tactics and strategy have no hope of succeeding.

Yee haw.

[cali]

11. yeah, I think that's a good comparison.

[malaise]

9. And that's why they're leaving n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. Another PR war to cover the wars we lost in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Maybe they should discover WMD in Grenada and terror cells in Andorra and go for a win there.

[polly7]

16. K&R nt.

[woo me with science]

18. We have always been at war with Yemenasia. nt

[millennialmax]

19. It isn't war when the government invites you in to help. eom

[cali]

21. Of course it can be. that's simply a ridiculous statement.

the escalation in Yemen is part of the endless war on terror. No one denies this.