Yemeni officials say security forces have foiled an al-Qaida plot to capture oil and gas export facilities. This, as the U.S. launched a suspected drone strike that killed at least seven al-Qaida members.   A spokesman for Yemen’s prime minister said Wednesday the plan involved dozens of al-Qaida militants dressed in Yemeni army uniforms attacking strategic locations in the cities of Mukalla and Shabwa, including two ports.  He said the operation was thwarted through the deployment of extra troops around the targeted facilities and by banning anyone from entering.  News of the foiled plot came the same day the U.S. launched a drone strike in Shabwa province - the fifth in Yemen in less than two weeks. The United States has repeatedly used drone strikes in recent years to target members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.  Travelers make their way to the departure lounge at Sana’a International Airport, Yemen, Aug. 6, 2013. ​​US embassy evacuated

The U.S. State Department Tuesday ordered its non-essential staff to leave the country amid concerns of a possible terrorist attack.  Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula ​​Yemeni officials say they have intercepted threats against targets in the country’s capital and other locations, and earlier this week released a list of 25 people it says were planning to carry out attacks.  The United States has shut down 19 embassies and consulates in the Middle East and Africa through Saturday, including the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a.   U.S. President Barack Obama says the threat that caused those closures is “significant enough” that the United States is “taking every precaution.”   The State Department has issued travel warnings to Americans, including in Yemen, where it cautions them to limit movement within the country.  Obama said in an interview broadcast late Tuesday on NBC’s Tonight Show that Americans should still take vacations, but do so with “some common sense and some caution.”   Intercepted al-Qaida message

U.S. media reports say intelligence agencies intercepted communications between al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Pakistan and the head of al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen, Nasir al-Wuhayshi. The reports say al-Zawahri ordered the Yemen branch to carry out an attack as early as this past Sunday. But U.S. officials were unable to pinpoint the exact time and place of the possible attack.  Analysts say the communications indicate al-Zawahri is working through the affiliates because they say the al-Qaida core has been substantially weakened.   The U.S. diplomatic posts to stay closed all week are Amman, Cairo, Sana’a, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Dhahran, Jeddah, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Manama, Muscat, Antanarivo, Bujumbura, Djibouti, Khartoum, Kigali, and Port Louis. [Read More]

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Source: VOA News: War and Conflict