Yemen on Wednesday withdrew permission for the United States to conduct anti-terrorism operations on its soil after President Donald Trump authorised a raid that killed 14 al Qaeda militants, one United States commando and several civilians, The New York Times reported. While the publication cited unidentified sources, but neither government has confirmed the development yet.
Public anger over 30 alleged civilian deaths during the the January 29 operation and the inclusion of Yemen in the US immigration ban list has reportedly triggered this decision. The Pentagon has acknowledged that several civilians died during the exchange of fire and said that an investigation to verify the reports were underway.
Describing the raid as “extrajudicial killings” on Twitter, Yemen’s foreign minister Abdul Malik Al Mekhlafi had condemned the operation. Several Yemeni government officials said the Arab country had not been appropriately consulted and briefed about the mission, the English daily reported.
In a statement in January, Trump had hailed the operation as a success and said the intelligence gathered during the operation would help the country fight terrorism. He had said that Americans were “saddened” by the death of a service member who was fighting against “the evil radical Islamic terrorism”.
In 2014, Yemen had suspended US drone operations temporarily as failed operations had led to the deaths of many civilians. The missions resumed a short while after.
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