bert, wrt your concerns:

1. Has America invaded the Yemen ?? All reports I have read contend that the Yemeni Government is co-operating with the US Government in their war against terror. The official Yemeni stance is that the presence of Al-Qaeda in the Yemen is unwelcome and undesireable.

In France, Germany or Canada, I think the approach would have been more in line with Troll's, "....nice quiet disappearance that lets the other side wonder if they defected." - A much more disruptive solution. The strike as initiated, does send the message that safe places for those and such as those are getting fewer and fewer with the passage of time. Gives the opposition the dilema - do we stay still or do we keep moving - there are inherent risks for them, no matter what they decide on.

2. The occupants of the car had been under observation by Yemeni security forces for some time. They probably passed on the target information to the CIA. The location of the attack is in an area of the country that is regarded as fairly lawless and beyond the scope of what would be considered as normal law enforcement techniques. If the occupants of the car had been innocent Yemenis, I think we would have heard about it immediately, plus the fact the number and types of arms found in the wreckage of the car suggests that the occupants were who the Yemenis/CIA claim.


3. I daresay, by way of checks and balances, that this operation like most is covered by clearly defined "Rules of Engagement". If the very American phenomenon you refer to calls for the debating of each situation then your best option is to surrender now - you've already lost.