WASHINGTON – A senior U.S. official says the Yemen raid by U.S. special operations forces gathered valuable intelligence on the Al Qaeda affiliate there, including on the explosives they're manufacturing and the types of threats they're developing.
The official said the list describing the types of intelligence collected during the January raid filled more than three pages and included data on Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's training techniques and targeting priorities. Such information gives insight into the group's attack planning.
Questions have been raised about the effectiveness of the operation that ended in a fierce firefight. A Navy SEAL, 14 militants and several civilians were killed. Senior U.S. officials have called it a success.
The official wasn't able to discuss details of the classified military operation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.