US | al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula US Drones Hunt al-Qaeda in Yemen US wary of Afghanistan-esque PR backlash, hasn't fired shots yet By Polly Davis Doig Posted Nov 7, 2010 8:20 AM CST Copied In this Jan. 31, 2010 file photo, a US Predator drone flies over the moon above Kandahar Air Field, southern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File) In the wake of the failed Yemen mail bombs, the US is using a familiar weapon to hunt al-Qaeda in Yemen: The controversial Predator drone. Yet no shots have been fired thus far, reports the Washington Post, due to iffy intelligence on insurgents' whereabouts and American fears of re-creating the anti-American sentiment seen in Afghanistan over botched strikes and civilian casualties. "Why gain enemies right now?" asks a senior Yemeni official. "Americans are not rejected in Yemen; the West is respected. Why waste all this for one or two strikes when you don't know who you're striking?" America, meanwhile, is expected to double aid to Yemen to $250 million and is pushing for increased permissions in the nation; "Where we are right now with our capabilities, and with our authorities and permissions," says one White House official, the hunt for al-Qaeda "might look very different in 12 months or 18 months," Read These Next Hall of Famer Dave Parker dies That 'buy now, pay later' loan may soon hit your credit score. Cops: Arizona 5th graders drew up plot to 'end' a classmate. Mark Zuckerberg's 'list' has Silicon Valley buzzing. Report an error