US widens terror war to Yemen

The United States has quietly opened a largely covert military front in Yemen, which is being accused of claiming a significant number of dead civilians including children. A year ago, the CIA sent a number of its top field operatives to the country while some of the most secretive special operations commandos have begun training Yemeni security forces. Recently, human rights groups have condemned these forces for killing at least 11 unarmed protesters. The Pentagon is going to spend more than $70 million over the next 18 months, and use teams of Special Forces to train and equip Yemeni military, Interior Ministry and coast guard forces. Much in the same way the US military has defended its role in recent years in Somalia, officials say the United States' escalated involvement is aimed at attacking an entrenched al-Qaida presence in Yemen. But like Somalia, less is mentioned that Yemen is a politically unstable country under attack by a mounting insurgency whose ties to al-Qaida, if any, remain unclear.