I don't spend a lot of time writing about Yemen. Yes, we seem to kill al Qaeda types there from time to time, but my impression is that these self-identified al Qaeda are mostly flags of convenience in what is essentially a civil war. Not that this means we can ignore al Qaeda there. They do try to kill us here at home, as the failed underwear bomber and the recently broken up underwear 2.0 plot show. But I can't bring myself to think of this as a major front against al Qaeda.
Our involvement in Yemen is growing:
The United States is expanding its military role in Yemen. Yemeni officials say U.S. forces assisted Yemeni troops in launching a wide air and land offensive against militant groups in the south of the country.
The United States has a long history of advising and assisting Yemen in that country's fight against the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula group. ...
The White House last month gave the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency wider authority to carry out drone strikes against militants in Yemen.
Not that it is wrong to help a government whose victory is preferable to their defeat. And if we can do that and kill some jihadis, I'm fine with that. I just can't get too worried about it.
I just hope nobody starts to argue that Afghanistan is "distracting us" from the real war on terror in Yemen.
