US Drones Hunt al-Qaeda in Yemen

In the wake of the failed Yemen mail bombs, the US is using a familiar weapon to hunt al-Qaeda in Yemen: The controversial Predator drone. Yet no shots have been fired thus far, reports the Washington Post, due to iffy intelligence on insurgents' whereabouts and American fears of re-creating the anti-American sentiment seen in Afghanistan over botched strikes and civilian casualties.

"Why gain enemies right now?" asks a senior Yemeni official. "Americans are not rejected in Yemen; the West is respected. Why waste all this for one or two strikes when you don't know who you're striking?" America, meanwhile, is expected to double aid to Yemen to $250 million and is pushing for increased permissions in the nation; "Where we are right now with our capabilities, and with our authorities and permissions," says one White House official, the hunt for al-Qaeda "might look very different in 12 months or 18 months," (More al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula stories.)