WASHINGTON — The White House is partially lifting the lid of secrecy on its counterterrorism campaign against al-Qaeda in Yemen and Somalia by formally acknowledging for the first time that it is conducting lethal attacks in those countries.
The White House’s semiannual report to Congress on the state of U.S. combat operations abroad, delivered Friday, mentions what has been reported for years but never formally acknowledged by the administration: The U.S. military has been taking “direct action” against members of al-Qaeda and affiliates in Yemen and Somalia.
The report does not elaborate, but “direct action” refers to a range of lethal attacks, which in the case of Yemen and Somalia include attacks by armed drones. The report applies only to U.S. military operations — not those conducted by the CIA.
The report does not provide details of any operations in Yemen or Somalia.
“In all cases, we are focused on those al-Qaeda members and affiliates who pose a direct threat to the United States and to our national interests,” the Pentagon said after the report’s release. The Associated Press
