Incident Code
USYEM266
Incident Date
8 July 2016
Location
Central Yemen, Yemen
Airwars Assessment
Last Updated: May 7, 2026
(Previous Incident Code: YEM236 )
The US military announced a strike hit “near central Yemen” killing “one al Qaeda operative”. There are currently no known reports of civilian harm.
CENTCOM stated: “A strike on July 8 killed one al Qaeda operative”.
The information was released on August 2nd – up until then the strike had gone unreported.
No further details are currently available.
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 conducted two additional counter-terrorism strikes in July against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula near central Yemen.A strike on July 8 killed one al Qaeda operative and a strike on July 16 killed six al Qaeda operatives and injured one.Strikes against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen put consistent pressure on the terrorist network and prevents them from plotting and executing attacks against US persons, our homeland and our allies.AQAP remains a significant threat to the region, the United States and beyond. Al Qaeda’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 US and its interests.The US will not relent in its mission to degrade, disrupt and destroy al Qaeda and its remnants. We remain committed to defeating AQAP and denying it safe haven regardless of its location. Strikes conducted by the US in Yemen continue to diminish AQAP’s presence in the region."