Suspected Al-Qaeda leader in Yemen escapes raid.

Most headlines I have seen in other media note the claim that the deputy leader was killed. Of course there is no mention of any civilians being killed. Unless it is absolutely unavoidable the so-called collateral damage is not mentioned. The media usually but not always co-operates in this silence campaign. Note that the Yemen govt. denies that the US was involved in the attack. This is standard as the US is not exactly favored by many Yemenis.


Suspected al-Qaida leader in Yemen escapes raid

Yemeni official: US didn't fire missiles in strike against al-Qaida; deputy commander killed

Staff
AP News

Dec 19, 2009 07:23 EST

A military strike on al-Qaida's network in Yemen killed the deputy commander of the terrorist network's cell in Abyan province, the Yemeni government said.

Embassy spokesman Mohammed Albasha identified the dead man as Mohammed Al Kazimi, but said suspected al-Qaida leader Qasim al-Raymi, the intended target of this week's raid, escaped.

Al-Raymi is one of 23 militants who broke out of a prison in San'a in February 2006 and is at large. ....
The U.S. provided firepower and other aid to Yemen for the strike this week against suspected al-Qaida hide-outs and training sites within its borders, according to a New York Times report.

President Barack Obama approved the military and intelligence support, which came at the request of the Yemeni government.

Albasha denied the U.S. launched missiles in the attack.

Officials said at least 34 militants were killed in the Yemeni strike on Thursday in what was an unusually heavy assault as the Obama administration presses the unstable country for tougher action against al-Qaida.

Witnesses put the number killed at over 60 and said the dead were mostly civilians, including women and children. They denied the target was an al-Qaida stronghold, and one provincial official said only 10 militant suspects died.

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