The US Central Intelligence Agency has been launching armed drones from a secret airbase in Saudi Arabia for the past two years, primarily to hit targets in neighboring Yemen.
The US news media has known about the base’s existence since September 2011 when it was used to assassinate American citizen and suspected al-Qaeda member Anwar al-Awlaki, but did not disclose the information because of an “informal agreement” with the Obama administration to keep it secret.
Senior US officials expressed concern that disclosure could undermine cooperation with Saudi Arabia and ultimately prevent the US from waging the drone war in Yemen. But the New York Times revealed the story this week, breaking the informal agreement.
The drone war rests on very shaky legal grounds as it is. The Obama administration has staunchly refused to make public the official legal rationale for its targeted killing program, which contradicts international laws requiring an imminent threat to justify the use of force.
Human rights officials at the United Nations have launched an investigation into the Obama administration’s drone war and reports of high numbers of civilian casualties.
The expanding drone war in Yemen, which often kills civilians, does in fact cause blowback and help al-Qaeda recruitment – as attested to by numerous Yemen experts,investigative reporting on the ground, polling, testimony from Yemen activists, and the actual fact that recent bungled terrorist attacks aimed at the US have cited such drone attacks as motivating factors.
After another September drone strike that killed 13 civilians, a local Yemeni activist told CNN, “I would not be surprised if a hundred tribesmen joined the lines of al Qaeda as a result of the latest drone mistake. This part of Yemen takes revenge very seriously.”
“Our entire village is angry at the government and the Americans,” a Yemeni villager named Mohammed told the Post. “If the Americans are responsible, I would have no choice but to sympathize with al-Qaeda because al-Qaeda is fighting America.”
But the secret US drone base in Saudi puts added weight to issues of blowback.
“Osama bin Laden began his jihad against the United States largely because he was incensed that American troops were stationed in his homeland, Saudi Arabia, proximate to Islamic holy sites,” writes The Atlantic‘s Conor Friedersdorf, before citing extensive polling showing that millions of Muslims across the Arab world said their opinion of the US would significantly improve if it moved all military bases out of Saudi Arabia.
“In 2003, after the invasion of Iraq, the United States announced that it would pull its troops out of Saudi Arabia, though some remain there,” Friedersdorf writes. “It would’ve been nice to publicly debate whether the strategic value of a drone base in Saudi Arabia outweighs the potential for blowback,” before the Obama administration secretly established the base two years ago.
the saudis should be blown to smithers
the US doing exactly what osama hated
You'd think they would have learned their lesson about having military bases in Saudi Arabia. Memories must be short in Washington.
If the US government really intended to defeat terrorism and keep its citizens safe, they would immediately ditch this ridiculous drone policy. I can only conclude that they actually want to drum up an endless number of adversaries. After all, who could possibly justify a trillion dollar "defense" budget if we minded our own business?
" I can only conclude that they actually want to drum up an endless number of adversaries."
Exactly, so the military-industrial-corporate-media complex can perpetuate itself and gorge on the billions of dollars doled out to 'protect' the citizens. The cycle of profit
Obama should be indicted by a war crimes tribunal for the murder of innocent people.
He is worse than those who were indicted after WW2 in Nurnberg.
Obama should be indicted by a war crimes tribunal for the murder of innocent people.
He is worse than those who were indicted after WW2 in Nurnberg.
Wahabi Saudi Arabia is the single exporter of extremist views of Islam, in other words, the single exporter of terrorist ideas. Couple that with the billions these wackos have then you start forming a concrete idea.
Doesn't is sound weird that the US is using secret bases there for their alleged counter terror illegal activities? something does not add up.
Alqaeda created a mess everywhere in the world … suicide bombings, bomb blasts, kidnappings, terrorism … lets see what alqaeda will do to saudi arabia for having drone base in saudi arabia !
"undermine cooperation"? What the hell?!… You mean the export of men and materiale like in Syria?
I love these "informal agreements" between the government and those who are supposed to watch over it. Future generations won't believe that current media leaders were so vile that they gave up their responsibility to inform the public.