Rebels in Yemen seize secret files about U.S. spy operations

(Image credit: Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

published 25 March 2015

U.S. officials say that secret documents containing names of agents and informants and plans for counter-terrorism operations have been looted by rebels in Yemen.

The files had been held by Yemeni security forces, the Los Angeles Times reports. One official said that some intelligence officers still loyal to President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi burned sensitive files before the Houthi takeover, but it's also believed that even more files were handed over to Iranian advisers by Yemeni officials who sided with the Houthi militants.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.