A senior US military commander issued a secret order last year that laid the ground for an escalation of covert operations across the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, officials said.
Issued last September by General David Petraeus, the order authorised an escalation that included boosting military and intelligence assistance to help Yemeni forces strike Al Qaeda targets, as well as deployment of more unmanned aerial drones to collect information and track high-value targets.
The order also authorised US Special Operations units to work with local security forces to counter Al Qaeda and other threats, a goal Pentagon officials have made no secret of.
Petraeus oversees US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and plays a major role in planning for any possible military action against Iran over its nuclear program.