Incident Code
USYEM265
Incident Date
4 July 2016
Location
Musaina, Shabwa, Yemen
Airwars Assessment
Last Updated: May 7, 2026
(Previous Incident Code: YEM235 )
Two to three al Qaeda fighters were killed in a “counter-terrorism strike” by the US military in Shabwa province. There are currently no known reports of civilian harm.
Centcom, the US military command responsible for operations in 20 countries including Yemen, confirmed it conducted the strike, saying it “killed two al Qaeda operatives”. The attack hit a car, according to “local source”.
A source additionally reported that one member of al Qaeda was also injured in the strike.
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
Release Number 20160708-17
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TAMPA, Fla. –The U.S. military conducted two counterterrorism strikes in July against al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula near Shabwah Governorate in central Yemen.
A strike on July 1 killed two al-Qa’ida operatives and a strike on July 4 killed two al-Qa’ida operatives.
Strikes against al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen put consistent pressure on the terrorist network and prevents them from plotting and executing attacks against U.S. persons, our homeland and our allies.
AQAP remains a significant threat to the region, the United States and beyond. Al-Qa’ida’s presence has a destabilizing effect on Yemen; it is using the unrest in Yemen to provide a haven from which to plan future attacks against our allies as well as the U.S. and its interests.
The U.S. will not relent in its mission to degrade, disrupt and destroy al-Qa’ida and its remnants. We remain committed to defeating AQAP and denying it safe haven regardless of its location. Strikes conducted by the U.S. in Yemen continue to diminish AQAP’s presence in the region.