Your trusted source

The United States used the presence of al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist cells in Yemen to blackmail the government in Sanaa, Yemeni president’s adviser Saleh Samad told RIA Novosti Friday, Sputnik reported.

“Political vacuum in the country at the time when the government was being formed prevented authorities from taking drastic measures and declaring war on terror. The United States used al-Qaeda to blackmail the Yemeni government and impose its diktat authority,” the adviser said.

Samad, who is a key figure in Houthi movement, told RIA Novosti he believed the government must do everything to preserve Yemen’s sovereignty and integrity of its territories, when it comes to US interference and the use of drones to kill terrorist suspects on the Yemeni soil.

In 2012, anti-government protesters in Yemen forced autocratic President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down after 33 years in power.

Following the power transition in the country, Yemen has seen an increase in terrorist activity, particularly by al-Qaeda fighters. The United States is the only country carrying out UAV operations in the region, after US President George W. Bush launched a drone campaign to eradicate terrorists in 2004.