Washington, January 28: US special forces and intelligence officers are working closely with Yemeni troops in secret operations that have killed six of 15 leaders of Al-Qaeda’s affiliate, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
President Barack Obama approved the joint operations, which began six weeks ago and involve several dozen troops from the US Joint Special Operations Command, which is dedicated to hunting down Al-Qaeda leaders, the Post said, citing unnamed officials.
Although US troops do not take part in raids in Yemen, they plan missions, develop tactics and provide weapons and ammunition, the Post said.
The United States also is sharing highly sensitive intelligence with Yemeni forces, including electronic and video intelligence, three dimensional terrain maps and analytical assessments of Al-Qaeda, it said.
The United States has previously acknowledged supporting the Yemenis with intelligence and training, but has provided no details of its role in stepped up attacks on Al-Qaeda militants.
The US focus on Yemen, however, has intensified since a thwarted attempt to bring down a US-bound airliner on Christmas Day, allegedly by a Nigerian trained in Yemen by Al-Qaeda’s regional branch.
The Post said the combined effort has resulted in more than two dozen ground raids and air attacks, including a December 24 attack approved by Obama against a compound where regional Al-Qaeda leaders were believed to be meeting.
Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell declined to comment on the report’s details but praised Yemen’s effort to combat Al-Qaeda militants.
“We applaud them for their aggressive and forceful response to this growing terrorist threat in their country,” Morrell told a news conference on Wednesday.
He cited US financial assistance, military training and advice designed to help Yemen counter extremist threats and that the Obama administration stood ready to do more if asked.
“If that is something that the Yemeni government continues to find helpful, we will look for ways to continue to do that, if not broaden it,” Morrell said.
“This is obviously a sensitive issue for the Yemeni government and we are mindful of their sovereignty.”
Yemeni officials have warned against any high-profile US military presence in their country, with Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Kurbi saying last week that sending Western troops to his country to combat extremists would only fuel terrorism.
Obama has said he has “no intention” of deploying American ground forces to Yemen.
A senior military official told reporters this week that the administration planned to expand its military assistance to Yemen.
The newspaper report came as ministers and officials from 21 Western and Arab countries met in London to discuss security as well as the wider economic and political problems facing Yemen.
—Agencies