Since Monday, videos have surfaced — both professional and amateur — showing the violence unfolding between the Yemeni Army and Houthi rebels in the capital, Sana.
WASHINGTON — A C.I.A. drone strike on Monday on a car in eastern Yemen, the first since the resignation of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, killed three suspected Qaeda fighters, American officials said, in a signal that the United States will continue its targeted killing operations in the country despite the apparent takeover by Houthi fighters.
The strike took place in the central province of Marib, where a missile hit a vehicle carrying three men near the boundary with the province of Shabwa, which is believed to be a stronghold of Al Qaeda. The Central Intelligence Agency operates a drone base in southern Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen.
The Saudi government is a strong supporter of American strikes against the group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
The Associated Press quoted a Qaeda member who identified the three killed fighters as Awaid al-Rashidi, a Saudi, and Abdel Aziz al-Sanaani and Mohammed al-Jahmi, both Yemeni.
At a news conference in New Delhi on Sunday, President Obama said that his administration would “continue to go after high-value targets inside of Yemen,” and would “continue to maintain the pressure that’s required to keep the American people safe.” The president is headed to Saudi Arabia to pay his respects after the death of King Abdullah and the ascension to the throne of King Salman.
A C.I.A. spokesman declined to comment.
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stronghold
Aden
Areas where Al Qaeda is able to operate.
Houthis have
influence or are
able to operate.
JAN. 24, 2015
