Most Americans are probably unaware that over the past two weeks the US
has launched at least eight drone attacks in Yemen, in which dozens have
been killed. It is the largest US escalation of attacks on Yemen in
more than a decade. The US claims that everyone killed was a "suspected
militant," but Yemeni citizens have for a long time been outraged over
the number of civilians killed in such strikes. The media has reported
that of all those killed in these recent US strikes, only one of the
dead was on the terrorist "most wanted" list
In Washington, President Obama praised
the cooperation of President Hadi in fighting the Yemen-based al-Qaeda
in the Arabian Peninsula. This was just before the US Administration
announced that a huge unspecified threat was forcing the closure of
nearly two dozen embassies in the area, including in Yemen. According to
the Administration, the embassy closings were prompted by an
NSA-intercepted conference call at which some 20 al-Qaeda leaders
discussed attacking the West. Many remain skeptical about this dramatic
claim, which was made just as some in Congress were urging greater
scrutiny of NSA domestic spying programs. "At the heart of the
U.S.-Yemeni cooperation is a joint command center in Yemen, where
officials from the two countries evaluate intelligence gathered by
America and other allies, such as Saudi Arabia, say U.S. and Yemeni
officials. There, they decide when and how to launch missile strikes
against the highly secretive list of alleged al Qaeda operatives
approved by the White House for targeted killing, these people say."
Far
from solving the problem of extremists in Yemen, however, this US
presence in the country seems to be creating more extremism. According
to professor Gregory Johnson of Princeton University, an expert on
Yemen, the civilian "collateral damage" from US drone strikes on
al-Qaeda members actually attracts more al-Qaeda recruits:
The
escalation of drone strikes in Yemen, presumably in response to the
ongoing Al Qaeda threat, and other technology-based military options
could fuel calls to re-write laws that govern such actions to give
Congress greater oversight over the administration's remote-controlled
warfare.
"Some of these campaigns by the administration clearly
constitute an act of war," said Jonathan Turley, an attorney and
professor at George Washington University Law School.
"gerald
celente" "trends in the news" israel jewish news newspaper media
coulture billionaire amazon founder "the washington post" control
journalist journalism rights freedom google beefburger "british beef"
fake terror alert message "middle east" embassy obama america u.s.
"united states" usa american elite wealth wealthy security yeman truth
intelligence drone strike military "u.s. army" land forces agenda 2013
829speedy baseball sports nba business david icke alex jones infowars
lindsey williams student loans economy farrakhan
Retired US
Marine Corps General James Mattis recently said that America pays a
price for its perceived bias in support of Israel. "I paid a military
security price every day as the commander of CentCom because the
Americans were seen as biased in support of Israel, and that moderates
all the moderate Arabs who want to be with us, because they can't come
out publicly in support of people who don't show respect for the Arab
Palestinians," he said Saturday at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado
in response to a question about the peace process.
He called the
current situation in Israel "unsustainable" and blamed the settlements
for harming prospects for peace. The chances for an accord between
Israel and the Palestinians, said Mattis, "are starting to ebb because
the settlements and where they're at are going to make it impossible to
maintain the two state solution."