SANAA
By Zakaria al-Kamali
Yemen's parliament on Sunday called for a halt to US drone attacks on Yemeni territory, days after one such attack killed 13 people and injured more than 20 others.
Sunday's vote was the first of its kind against US drone strikes in Yemen, which began in 2002 within the context of growing US-Yemeni coordination against the ostensible threat of Al-Qaeda-linked groups.
Yemenis were outraged last week by the death of 13 compatriots in a US drone attack on a wedding convoy in the central Al-Bayda province.
Even though drone strikes have become increasingly frequent in recent years, last week's attack served to embarrass the Yemeni government. The government apologized to the families of the victims, to whom it also provided monetary compensation.
The compensation consisted of $168,000 and 100 Kalashnikov rifles to the families of the slain, a decision decried by rights groups as an "improper" way to remedy extra-judicial killings.
Parliament's unanimous vote against drone strikes came as a surprise to many observers. Some saw the vote as coming too late, but others said parliament – which is dominated by members of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh's party – wanted to bolster Al-Qaeda at the expense of the new government.
"Parliament can't approve or prevent anything," Yemeni researcher Mohamed al-Zahri told Anadolu Agency.
According to rights groups, scores of Al-Qaeda operatives were killed in 65 US drone strikes – many of which claimed civilian lives, too – since 2002.
The Yemeni government has repeatedly warned that civilian casualties owing to US drone strikes only serve to alter public sentiments in favor of Al-Qaeda.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
