Pentagon: Yemen political unrest affecting U.S. counterterrorism efforts

The Pentagon on Tuesday acknowledged that Yemen’s political unrest was affecting its counterterrorism capabilities but said it was still training Yemeni forces and could carry out operations inside the country against al-Qaida militants. The U.S. closed its embassy in Yemen because of the unpredictable security situation in a country where Iran-backed rebels have seized control of Sanaa, Yemen’s capital. The U.S. isn’t the only country that’s pulling out: Reuters reports that the U.K., France, and Germany are also preparing to leave Sanaa.

We’re not against the people of America, we’re just against its policies.

Saleh Ali al-Sammad, the senior Houthi official in Yemen’s capital

President Barack Obama hailed Yemen as a “model” last year for U.S. counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East, but the coup by the Houthi movement, formalized last Friday, is raising questions about America’s continuing role in trying to curtail the influence of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which is based in Yemen. However, the U.S. has refused to call the takeover a “coup” just yet and seems to be holding out hope for cooperation with the Houthis.

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