Yemen Says US Ramping Up Drone Strikes
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JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images(SANAA, Yemen) — U.S. drone strikes against terrorist targets in Yemen have been on the increase since late last year, with reports this week of more targeted attacks on suspected militants.
On Wednesday, at least seven al-Qaeda-linked militants were reportedly killed when their car was struck by rockets fired from an unmanned drone about 20 miles southeast of the capital of Sanaa, according to Yemeni officials.
This follows a reported strike on Tuesday that left as many as five suspected terrorists dead.
While the Pentagon does not comment on drone attacks, Yemen’s Human Rights Minister Hooria Mashhour recently condemned the action by his government’s ally, saying there were more effective ways of stopping al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
The Obama administration has conducted the drone strikes in Yemen with the implicit approval of both former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his successor, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
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