U.S. Is Reported to Kill Al Qaeda Leader in Yemen

American officials claim that they have killed Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi, a senior Al Qaeda member who may have had ties to the 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen. The American attack was carried out in the Yemeni desert with an unmanned Predator airplane. The attack was also done without the explicit support of the Yemeni government. U.S. officials seem to want to signal to the government that they will fight Al Qaeda with or without the cooperation of the Yemeni state though this may pose a threat to Yemeni sovereignty. The attack on Mr. Harethi may be the first in a series of moves to crack down on Al Qaeda cells, which are believed to be spread throughout Yemen, Djibouti, and other countries in the Middle East and Africa. – YaleGlobal