A political analyst says the United States drone strikes in Yemen are aimed at terrorizing the nation in order to get the upper hand on the country\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s oil resources and military bases, Press TV<\/b> reports.\n<\/p>\n
In an exclusive interview with Press TV on Saturday, Ralph Schoenman, author and political commentator in Berkeley, said the US airstrikes are mostly targeting civilian areas and the victims have been mostly civilians.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201c\u2026These airstrikes are on civilians and on cars that are driven by people who are in no way connected to political activity. In fact, 849 people who have been killed have been simply civilians who have no connection other than they are hostile to the United States as is most of the population,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
The analyst said that the US so-called war on terror \u00c5\u201cis a war for expanding US and Israeli control of the region for provoking new wars\u201d in the region.\n<\/p>\n
Schoenman noted that Yemen sits across the strategically crucial Gulf of Aden and commands the Bab el Mandeb Strait, which controls access to the Red Sea.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201c\u2026The United States has long term plans to build three military bases in Yemen in order to strengthen America\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s military presence in the country,\u201d he said, adding: \u00c5\u201c\u2026As the Yemen Times<\/i> reported, 35 international companies are jockeying for access to 20 new oil extraction sites in the country. That is what this is really about with respect to Yemen.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
The US has launched numerous drone attacks in Yemen killing many innocent civilians over the past few years.\n<\/p>\n
Washington claims that its airstrikes target militants, but local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the airstrikes.\n<\/p>\n
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