WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) – The United States has halted some counter-terrorism operations against al Qaeda militants in Yemen following a takeover of the country by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, U.S. officials said on Friday.
The collapse of the U.S.-backed government of Yemen on Thursday has left America’s counter-terrorism campaign “paralyzed,” two U.S. security officials said, dealing a major setback to Washington’s fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a potent wing of the militant network.
Three U.S. officials said the halt in operations included drone strikes, at least temporarily, following the abrupt resignation of the president, prime minister and cabinet amid mounting fears the Arab world’s poorest country was veering toward civil war.
The U.S. move underscores another setback for President Barack Obama’s Middle East policy and raises doubts about a counter-terrorism strategy that has relied on drone warfare and often shaky foreign partners to avoid sending large U.S. ground forces to battle militant threats far from American shores.
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A former senior U.S. official said that Yemeni authorities for now “will be much more focused on what goes on in the capital Sanaa than what goes on with al Qaeda in the countryside.”
The Shi’ite Muslim Houthi rebels are enemies of AQAP, a Sunni Islamist militant group. But they also oppose the United States, a fact on display during rallies on Friday in Sanaa, where thousands gathered with placards calling for “Death to America, Death to Israel.”
“Hadi was a unique figure who not only tolerated drone strikes, he welcomed them,” said Bruce Riedel, director of the Brookings Institution think tank’s Intelligence Project.
“I don’t think we’re going to have that kind of enthusiastic partner in the foreseeable future,” Riedel added, saying the United States may be left dealing with fractured, competing institutions in Yemen, with varying attitudes toward Washington. (Additional reporting by Phil Stewart, Matt Spetalnick and David Rohde; Editing by Jason Szep, Stuart Grudgings and Clarence Fernandez)
