Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

USYEM101-B

Incident date

June 11, 2012

Location

جعار, Ja'ar, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.223161, 45.305486 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between 12 and 16 Al Qaeda fighters were killed in a suspected US or Yemeni airstrike or ground operation on Jaar, Abyan on June 11, 2012, local media reported. There are currently no known reports of civilian harm.

Reuters cited a Yemeni military official who said that “the army launched its most serious assault on Jaar to date,” and that a combination of ground and aerial raids had killed “at least” 44 Al Qaeda members. AP reported that the airstrike alone had killed 16 alleged militants.

Tweets from various local sources reported that airstrikes destroyed an Al Qaeda weapon store as well as the site for manufacturing and supplying explosives and car bombs. Addustour added that following airstrikes in Jaar, the army took control of the (October 7) ammunition factory at the northwestern edge of Jaar and found the bodies of 12 Al Qaeda members.

While this incident was attributed by sources to the Yemen Air Force (or only mentioned as airstrikes), it has been confirmed that the US had been carrying out raids on Yemen during this time and the Yemen Air Force had been declared incapable of defending its own airspace and ‘barely functional‘ casting doubt on the source of the strike, which is why US involvement cannot be ruled out.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention that the north and west of the town of Ja’ar (جعار) were targeted. The generic coordinates for the town of Ja’ar (جعار) are: 13.223161, 45.305486. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected belligerents
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    12–16

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, Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected belligerents
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    12–16

Sources (8) [ collapse]