Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

USYEM086-C

Incident date

May 17, 2012

Location

شقرة, Shaqra, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.356639, 45.699426 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On May 17th 2012, at an Al Qaeda checkpoint in the town of Shaqra in the Abyan Province, a suspected US drone-fired missile or Yemeni air strike hit two cars killing between three and eight alleged Al Qaeda militants and up to two civilians, in addition to wounding others, according to local officials and residents, however the US has not confirmed the strike.

There have been conflicting accounts of the incident in reporting including the deathtoll, their civilian or belligerent status and whether the strike was conducted at a checkpoint or a vehicle traveling through the town. Reuters reported that three militants and two civilians were killed in a Yemeni airstrike, according to local residents and officials. However, AP claimed that six militants were killed when a strike hit a vehicle in the town. AFP, in contrast, reported that six militants were killed in a strike on a checkpoint in Shaqra which News 24 confirmed. CBS News corroborated the figure but provided no details on where or how the strike in Shaqra occured. Security officials told CNN that eight militants traveling in a convoy were killed in a drone strike, which was followed by a series of airstrikes by the Yemeni Air Force. A Facebook post from Yemen News Network from Aden mentions “wounded” from the airstrike but does not specify how many.

It remains unclear who was behind the incident, with residents and local officials reporting both airstrikes and artillery shelling and blaming both US military and Yemeni military forces.

The incident occured in the afternoon.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Shaqra (شقرة) in the Abyan (أبين‎) governorate. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for the town of Shaqra (شقرة) are: 13.356639, 45.699426.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3–8
  • Belligerents reported injured
    0–2

Sources (8) [ collapse]

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Yemeni Air Force Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Yemeni Air Force
  • Yemeni Air Force position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3–8
  • Belligerents reported injured
    0–2

Sources (8) [ collapse]