In the years after the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, Yemen became a key site for U.S. intelligence gathering and drone attacks on Al-Qaeda."Regime collapse threatens Yemen's key role in US counter-terrorism strategy," The Guardian, 23 January 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015. According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 18% of Yemenis approved of U.S. leadership, with 59% disapproving and 23% uncertain.U.S. Global Leadership Project Report - 2012 Gallup According to a February 2015 report from the Congressional Research Service, U.S. officials considered Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula the Al-Qaeda affiliate "most likely to attempt transnational attacks against the United States."(11 February 2015), Jeremy Sharp, Yemen: Background and US Relations, p. 8.
