The US is gearing up for an expanded military campaign against al Qaida in Yemen, which will involve gathering military and intelligence resources to enable Yemeni and American strikes as well as a proposal to establish bases in remote areas of Yemen which harbor militants, reported The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
The new plan comes amid increased efforts by the US to go after members of al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the terrorist group which claimed responsibility for a recent attempt to blow up two planes in the US using hidden cargo bombs.
The limited experience of US intelligence in Yemen has created "a window of vulnerability" that the US government is "working fast to address," a senior official in the Obama administration said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In efforts to boost capabilities, the Central Intelligence Agency and other agencies are transferring equipment and personnel to Yemen from other areas, and in the past year, have increased the size of crews in the US that analyzing intelligence on AQAP. The Wall Street Journal reported that the focus now is on expanding the number of intelligence operatives and analysts in the field
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
US expands role in Yemen in hunt after al Qaida group
