Thursday, March 2, 2017

What Was Seized In Last Months US Navy SEAL Raid On Al Qaeda

Graffiti in Sana, Yemen, denouncing the United States’ military operations in the country. Credit Khaled Abdullah/Reuters

New York Times: Devices Seized in Yemen Raid Offer Some Clues to Qaeda Tactics

WASHINGTON — Computers and cellphones seized during a deadly Special Operations raid in Yemen in January offer clues about attacks Al Qaeda could carry out in the future, including insights into new types of hidden explosives the group is making and new training tactics for militants, according to American officials.

But it is still unclear how much the information advances the military’s knowledge of the plans and future operations of Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, although it may give a glimpse of its evolving tactics, the officials said.

The Trump administration has been eager to defend itself against assertions that the raid of a Qaeda safe house, in which a member of the Navy’s SEAL Team 6 was killed, was a failure because little meaningful intelligence material was seized. A military investigation was also ordered to determine whether women and children died in the raid.

Read more ....

Update #1: Yemen raid yields data on Al Qaeda explosives, official says (FOX News/AP)
Update #2: Pence says Yemen raid that resulted in SEAL's death yielded 'significant intelligence' and lays a 'foundation for victories' – after White House asked Pentagon to provide details hours before Trump's speech to Congress (Daily Mail).

WNU Editor: Yup .... A raid in remote Yemen and a SEAL’s death still reverberate for Trump (Washington Post)

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