The New York Times has revealed the US has carried out at least four secret air strikes inside Yemen since December as part of the Obama administration’s shadow war against al-Qaeda and its allies. The most recent strike occurred on May 25. The Times reports the attacks on Yemen come at a time when the United States is significantly increasing covert military and intelligence operations in roughly a dozen countries where it is secretly using robotic drones and commando teams, paying contractors to spy, and training local operatives to chase suspected terrorists. The Times reports that much of the Pentagon’s shadow war in being run by Michael Vickers, who helped run the CIA’s campaign to funnel guns and money to the Afghanistan mujahideen in the 1980s.