Even as
the humanitarian crisis precipitated by Saudi Arabia’s
more-than-three-year war in Yemen has deepened, the Pentagon earlier
this year launched a new classified operation to support the
kingdom’s military operations there, according to a Defense
Department document that appears to have been posted online
inadvertently.
The
existence of the new classified operation, code-named Yukon Journey,
was partially revealed in a Defense Department inspector general
report posted online earlier this month, which noted that “the
Secretary of Defense designated three new named contingency
operations: Operation Yukon Journey, and operations in Northwest
Africa and East Africa.”
The
three operations, which focus on al-Qaida and ISIS, are classified,
the report notes, and the Pentagon has not publicly disclosed their
location beyond saying they are in the Middle East and Africa.
But
another document posted earlier this year on a Pentagon-affiliated
website identifies Yukon Journey as a Central Command operation
supporting the “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Partner Nations in
Yemen.”
The
existence of a classified operation in Yemen raises the possibility
that even as the Pentagon scales back unclassified operations, such
as refueling Saudi-led coalition aircraft, covert support, to include
possible U.S. special forces on the ground, could continue.
Full
report:
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