The Pentagon has confirmed that a former Guantanamo Bay detainee that had been going by the name of Yasir Ali Abdallah al Silmi since his release has been killed by a drone strike during ongoing airstrike operations in Yemen. Previously known as Mohammed Tahar, he had rejoined al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (A.Q.A.P.) since his release.
Drone Strike Kills Al-Qaeda Radical
Tahar was part of a small group of detainees that the Obama Administration had released to Yemen in 2009 despite concerns about the chaos in Yemen at the time. The drone strike was part of an increased effort to root out al-Qaeda operatives operating outside the control of local government authorities. This effort included more than 40 airstrikes throughout central and southern Yemen since the end of February.
Although Tahar was not considered a “high-value” target, the Obama Administration made the tactical error of pushing too hard for the…
