Are American Drones Al Qaeda's Strongest Weapon in Yemen?
By Joseph Cox
Things are getting really messy in Yemen at the moment. With soldiers being murdered in their sleep and embassies closing en masse in fear of an imminent wave of attacks and multiple drone strikes, the country seems to be the latest sandbox full of blood in our war on terror.
Not that this warz one is all that new. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have had a presence in the area for years, their membership rose from around 300 in 2009 up to an estimated 1,000 today. In an attempt to combat this rise in manpower, the US has escalated its infamous drone program, allegedly targeting high-ranking AQAP members. Although, according to reports, they've yet to actually kill any of them.
Is this hit-and-hope policy really the best way to fight al Qaeda in Yemen? Or are these drone strikes, which have a habit of killing civilians, exactly the PR ammo al Qaeda need to lure new recruits in a country that is already as politically stable as a gang of jihadists on a bouncy castle?
“Drones will always be an easy way for [organizations like al Qaeda] to gain anti-American support,” Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, from the International Center for the Study of Radicalization, told me. “When something like a drone strike comes crashing down in people's front bedrooms or front rooms, that's going to help you recruit and radicalize, absolutely.”
This is already the case in other places with a heavy US drone presence, such as Pakistan. According to research, the drone policy has caused the majority of the population to see the US as an enemy, with strikes killing civilians, breeding resentment towards the US and undermining Pakistan’s sovereignty. Indeed, the foiled Times Square bomber declared that his attack was intended as payback for the US’ worldwide use of drones, a point that is seldom admitted by advocates of "targeted killings."
more
http://www.vice.com/read/are-us-drones-al-qaedas-strongest-weapon