Yemeni officials are calling the U.S. response to the recent al Qaida terror threat that closed embassies worldwide for a week a complete overreaction.

A reported eight U.S. drone strikes over 13 days “has ignited widespread outrage” in Yemen, as well, McClatchy News reported.

While reports have said some “militants” were killed in the strikes, only one was said to have been on the “most wanted list” of top al Qaida leaders in the country, the article said.

“While Western news reports have cast casualties of the next strike, on Aug. 1, as militants, locals in the area of Hadramawt where it took place have claimed that the dead had no links to the al Qaida group and included a child,” McClatchy reported.

“In the end, I think the American reaction has been far more than has been reasonable,” Abdulghani al Iryani, a Sanaa-based political analyst told the news service. “It comes off almost as a show of strength. But, ultimately, it may end up backfiring, as al Qaida is getting more attention now than they would have even if they carried out an attack.”

Interestingly, Yemeni officials have viewed the recent terror threat “to seize major cities in the country’s south” with “unvarnished skepticism, saying the group doesn’t have the manpower to carry out such an ambitious operation,” the article noted.

More from McClatchy News. 

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Janeen Capizola

"And though she be but little, she is fierce." And fun! This conservative-minded political junkie, mom of three, dancer and one-time NFL cheerleader holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science. [email protected]. Twitter: @JaneenBPR

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