CIA Will Operate Armed Drones Over Yemen

The CIA is expanding its hunt for al-Qaida operatives in Yemen with the use of armed drones. The CIA will be working in close coordination with the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, which is already flying Predators and other remotely operated aircraft over Yemen, The Washington Post Reports.

Predator drone (AP photo)

The move signals that the Obama administration has concluded the al-Qaida threat is so great in the country beset by political chaos that military drone patrols are no longer sufficient.

The CIA operates under a different set of rules than the military and has greater ability to carry out attacks.

The CIA was in the forefront of the use of armed drones in Afghanistan and has carried out hundreds of strikes in Pakistan, factors that give the agency expertise to conduct strikes in a country where the U.S. military has limited ability, according to the Post.