The US Army in Yemen -- hearts, minds, and sheep

Classic SpecOps -- develop eyes and ears you wouldn't otherwise have within the local populace. If the American come and cure some sick animals, that is the kind of news that spreads among locals. That is the kind of local news that can erase a lot of Al Jazeera propaganda. Direct action, on the ground, bypassing the government kleptocrats.

You know terrorists aren't bringing vets to keep the local's flocks healthy.

Might this be a precursor to some SpecOps operations in Yemen? Yemen has been a hotbed of nutjobs in the past -- nutjobs that have been giving the Saudi's a hard time.

SOCOM.MIL(PDF doc)
96th Civil Affairs Battalion helps treat livestock herds in Yemen

By Marine Corps Cpl. Jeff Nagan
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Public Affairs

One of the most effective ways of measuring the wealth of the people within the Horn of Africa and surrounding regions is the health of their herds. Animals provide the people with vital food and are a chief source of commerce. A small bit of medical care for their herds goes a long way in improving the lives and future of the people in the area. For the first time, U.S. servicemembers deployed to Yemen, at the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, to assist the local people in strengthening and healing their livestock....

...“Nobody has come before,” said Ahmed Salih Ali Muthana, a local herder. “I’m very happy. It’s beautiful to see the Americans working with the people of Yemen.”...

...The mission wasn’t without its hurdles, said Capt. David E. Fleming, 96th CA Bn. veterinarian. Although the herders could see and feel the impact of the mission, many of the political leaders had little idea of what the Americans were doing.
“We have had to work hard building relationships at the local and central level,” Fleming said. “We have to constantly reinforce our relationships, explaining that we are here to help the local and central government.”...

...The 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, volunteers from Camp Lemonier and local Yemeni veterinary students treated more than 24,000 animals, which included sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys and camels.