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US actions ‘adding fuel to fire’ in Yemen
The US raid in January killed several al-Qaeda militants but also left a Navy SEAL and several civilians dead
Dubai — Yemen is emerging as a test ground for US President Donald Trump’s forceful approach to al-Qaeda and Iran, but his first actions there risk drawing his administration further into its convoluted two-year-old war. A US raid in January killed several al-Qaeda militants but also left a Navy SEAL and several civilians dead, while the deployment of a destroyer to patrol the Red Sea coast drew the ire of Yemen’s Houthi movement, an ally of Iran. The flurry of operations since Trump took power on January 20 included three drone strikes on suspected al-Qaeda militants and increased logistical support for a Saudi-led campaign against the Houthis that began under his predecessor, Barack Obama. Washington has long supported the exiled Yemeni government against its Houthi and al-Qaeda foes, who are also fighting each other. But Trump’s approach may have unintended consequences, analysts and Yemeni officials warn, reversing efforts by the Obama administration to achieve a peace deal and ...
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