U.S. Citizens Warned to Flee Yemen over Terrorist Threat

Despite President Barack Obama’s repeated claims that al Qaeda was supposedly “on the run,” it appears the terror group is now running the show in Yemen and elsewhere.

The Wall Street Journal reports the U.S. State Department issued an August 6 order for American citizens to depart Yemen. This order includes “nonemergency” embassy staff in Sana’a as well.

The Obama administration also issued a travel alert for Yemen that covers the entire month of August “due to terrorist activities and civil unrest.” The State Dept “urges U.S. citizens to defer travel to Yemen and those U.S. citizens currently living in Yemen to depart immediately.”

Orders to flee Yemen follow the interception of communications between the head of Al Qaeda in Pakistan and “the chief of the group’s affiliate in Yemen, known as AQAP.” In the communications, the head of AQAP seemed to be describing and seeking approval for a large attack against a strategically important U.S. and/or western target.

AQAP “specializes in creative bomb-making techniques.” It is feared Yemen operatives might even use “surgically implanted bombs” to carry out their designs against U.S. and/or broader western interests.

The August 6 order to clear out of Yemen comes on the heels of weekend orders to close twenty embassies and/or consulates for fear of an imminent attack.

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.