US Drone Strike Kills Four in Yemen Amid Signs of Escalation

US Orders Citizens to Leave Yemen Immediately

US drone strikes in Yemen are nothing new, but today’s attack, which killed four “suspects” in Maarib Province, comes at a time when US military operations in Yemen seem increasingly under consideration. It’s the fourth strike in 10 days, part of what officials say is an effort to “disrupt” al-Qaeda.

All signs of the administration’s “terror plot” warning point to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemen-based auxiliary, and with officials openly talking about “preemptive strikes” Yemen seems a good bet to be in the crosshairs for more than just the ongoing drone program.

Such an operation could be coming soon, as the US State Department is evacuating personnel from Yemen en masse and has an emergency message warning US citizens to immediately flee Yemen because of the “fluid security situation.”

As a potential site for US operations few countries seem as potentially disastrous as Yemen, as the nation not only sports a major al-Qaeda presence but multiple secessionist movements and an array of tribal factions that are constantly in a state of open warfare with the pro-US regime.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.