Iran Gains Control of US Intelligence Files in Yemen

A U.S. intelligence network in Yemen has been compromised after files were taken by Iranian-backed militia leaders amid violent protests in the Middle Eastern country.

According to a Los Angeles Times report, officials from the Yemen government have given other files about American intelligence operations in Yemen to Iranian advisers as well.

Houthi militias took over Yemen's capital of Sana last fall and overthrew the government, with President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi being placed under house arrest. He eventually fled to Aden, a city in the southwest corner of the country.

On Wednesday, Hadi evacuated Yemen by boat as militants closed in on him, the New York Times reports. A reported $20 million bounty had been issued for his capture.

The theft of the files deals a significant blow to intelligence activities in the region. The L.A. Times reports the program had been implemented to track down and kill operatives from Al-Qaida. A facet of the terror group, Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), is based in Yemen and is considered by the U.S. to be the most dangerous branch of the group.

When Houthi forces recently gained control of Yemen's National Security Bureau office, it became clear the identities of local agents working for the Americans were uncovered, the L.A. Times reports.

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