Incident Code
USYEM276
Incident Date
20 September 2016
Location
Wadi Abida, Ma'rib, Yemen
Airwars Assessment
Last Updated: May 7, 2026
(Previous Incident Code: YEM244 )
AFP reported that a US drone strike in Yemen killed two suspected al Qaeda members while they were transporting munitions, which caused a large explosion. There are currently no known reports of civilian harm.
A security official told AFP that Abu Yaqin Al Waeli, a local al Qaeda commander, had been killed in the attack.
The strike reportedly hit the Wadi Abida district of Marib province.
The US confirmed the strike in a press release published on September 28, adding that the strike hit Marib province and killed two AQAP operatives.
Military Statements
U.S. Forces Assessment
Known belligerent
U.S. Forces
U.S. Forces position on incident
Not yet assessed
U.S. Forces Strike Report
TAMPA, Fla. – The U.S. military successfully struck two al-Qa'ida targets in central Yemen in the past week.
One strike, in the Marib Governorate Sept. 20, killed two operatives of al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula.
Another strike, Sept. 22 in the al Baydah Governorate, killed two other al- Qa'ida operatives.
"These were al-Qa'ida operatives who continue to support their organization's destabilizing effects in Yemen," said Army Maj. Josh T. Jacques, U.S. Central Command spokesman. "U.S. Central Command continues to protect the U.S., its allies and partners from these threats by denying Yemen as a haven for AQAP."
The USCENTCOM mission is to direct and enable military operations and activities with allies and partners to increase regional security and stability in support of enduring U.S. interests.
USCENTCOM will not relent in its mission to degrade and defeat al-Qa'ida and its remnants, Jacques said. Al-Qa'ida and its associated movements remain a significant threat.