Let’s Admit It: The US Is at War in Yemen, Too
Yet another war. It's really difficult keeping up with all the declarations of war coming through Congress as required by the Constitution.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/06/14-3
Published on Thursday, June 14, 2012 by Danger Room Blog / Wired
Lets Admit It: The US Is at War in Yemen, Too
by Noah Shachtman and Spencer Ackerman
After years of sending drones and commandos into Pakistan, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last week finally admitted the obvious: The US is fighting a war there. But American robots and special forces arent just targeting militants in Pakistan. Theyre doing the same with increasing frequency and increasing lethality in Yemen. The latest drone attack happened early Wednesday in the Yemeni town of Azzan, killing nine people. Its the 23rd strike in Yemen so far this year, according to the Long War Journal. In Pakistan, there have been only 22.
Surely, if America is at war in Pakistan, its at war in Yemen, too. And its time for the Obama administration to admit it.
For all the handwringing about the undeclared, drone-led war in Pakistan, its quietly been eclipsed. Yemen is the real center of the Americas shadow wars in 2012. After the US killed al-Qaida second in command Abu Yahya al-Libi earlier this month, Pakistan is actually running out of significant terrorists to strike. Yemen, by contrast, is a target-rich environment and thats why the drones are busier there these days.
The White House has declared al-Qaidas affiliate in Yemen is to be the biggest terror threat to Americans today. The campaign to neutralize that threat is far-reaching involving commandos, cruise missiles, and, of course, drone aircraft. It is also, according to some experts on the region, completely backfiring. Since the US ramped up its operations in Yemen in 2009, the ranks of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, have swelled from 300 fighters to more than 1,000.
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