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Airwars Assessment
(Previous Incident Code: YEMT156)
Pro-AQAP feeds reported on April 18th 2018 that Abu Nasir al-Baydani and other “brothers” [Al Qaeda fighters] were killed by a US drone strike in Sama’a, in Bayda governorate, according to Dr Elisabeth Kendall, an academic.
No other known sources reported a strike, and it was unclear when the event took place. CENTCOM later informed the Long War Journal of four US military actions in Yemen during April, none of which were on this date: “Four total strikes, one each in Shabwah (April 26) and Al Bayda (April 23), and two in Hadramout (both on April 11).”
Airwars has assessed that at least three alleged AQAP militants (al-Baydani and at least two “brothers”) were reportedly killed in an event we have for now attributed to this date. It may be however that these deaths relate to an earlier US action in Bayda.
Key Information
Geolocation Notes
Reports of the incident mention the Al Suma’a District (مديرية الصومعة) for which the generic coordinates are: 14.166667, 45.831111. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Reports of the incident mention the Al Suma’a District (مديرية الصومعة).
Imagery: Google Earth