Local Editor

According to The Daily Beast website recently on Tuesday, "The US-backed war in Yemen has strengthened al Qaeda there, American ["]defense["] officials concede, posing a serious threat to US security".

"Months into the US-supported Saudi intervention in Yemen, ["]fighters["] linked to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP], long considered the terror group’s deadliest franchise, are closing on the southern port city of Aden, according to US officials and local reports", as The Daily Beast said in an article on its website on Tuesday.

"...And it appears the group is using the conflict there to solidify its hold on Yemen", it said. 

It added: "Not only is Saudi Arabia failing to stop the group’s expansion, but some fear the kingdom is colluding with AQAP to fight the Houthis... whom Saudi Arabia considers a bigger ["]threat["]. Indeed, there have been reports that AQAP and Saudi Arabia worked together in the initial efforts last month to push the Houthis out of Aden".

According to The Daily Beast, "The US military has helped Saudi Arabia carry out its attacks... by providing intelligence, refueling Arab warplanes, and effectively blockading Yemen at times...".

"Despite AQAP’s gains, US officials so far have been reluctant to publicly criticize the Saudi intervention in Yemen. The kingdom is, of course, a longtime regional ally, and its reserve and oil supplies set world market prices, which now are relatively low...", it further said.