Senator calls for action on Yemen
WASHINGTON - A Senate committee chairman says the United States should consider whether air strikes, armed drones and clandestine operations are necessary in Yemen to defeat al Qaeda militants there.
Yesterday’s remark by Democratic Senator Carl Levin, who chairs the armed services committee, was a rare admission by a senior official that direct US military action in Yemen is possible, if it has not happened already. Such operations are highly classified.
Levin was speaking after a three-day trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The White House and Pentagon have said they have no plans to send ground troops to Yemen, and Yemen has made it clear it would not want them. Remaining options would include covert strikes against al Qaeda targets and increased aid to help train and equip Yemeni security forces.
