US Forces in Yemen

US Forces in Yemen

Mabkhout Ali al Ameri with his 18-month old son Mohammed, shortly after a botched US raid on al Ghayil in January 2017 had killed at least 20 villagers, including Mohammed's mother Fatim Saleh Mohsen. © Iona Craig

Belligerent
US Forces
Country
Yemen
start date
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Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Strike Status
Strike Type
Infrastructure
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Incident Code

USYEM044-N

Incident date

November 8, 2011

Location

الرميلة, Rumeila, north of Ja’ar, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.2489860, 45.3005280 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

The militant stronghold of Rumeila was targeted by “five US drone strikes,” according to an unnamed Yemeni official based in Jaar. There are currently no known reports of civilian harm.

According to AFP: “Meanwhile, Rumeila, north of Jaar, which itself is an Al-Qaeda stronghold, was also targeted Tuesday by ‘five US drone strikes,’ the same official said, adding no information was yet available on casualties. Yemen’s army, backed by US drones, have been battling militants of the Qaeda-linked Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law) group who have held the Abyan provincial capital since May.”

Some local sources, including @AJABreaking, mention that “8 killed and dozens of al-Qaeda members wounded on the outskirts of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan Governorate” but do not specify if they were killed in airstrikes.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the area or village of Rumeila (الرميلة), north of the town of Ja’ar (جعار) in the Abyan governorate. The coordinates for the village Rumeila (الرميلة) are: 13.2489860, 45.3005280. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM020-C

Incident date

June 21, 2011

Location

جامع حمزة في جعار, Hamza Mosque, Jaar, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.220151, 45.304792 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to seven people were killed and four others were wounded in US airstrikes or drone strikes on Hamzah Mosque in Ja’ar on June 21, 2011. At least two of the people killed were identified as possibly being militants.

@YemNews1 tweeted that four people were killed when Yemeni warplanes bombed the Hamzah mosque in the center of Jaar. @noonArabia reported that “scores of dead and wounded” were left following the bombing and @AdenLang referred to “deaths from armed groups and citizens”, indicating that civilians and militants were killed.

A tweet from @AdenLang identified that the right side of the mosque was damaged from the bombing and @YusraAlA added that Nasser Abdulrab Al-Yafi’s building was partially destroyed by the bombardment.

@YusraAIA later clarified to note that shops near the mosque were burned and damaged and two civilians were killed and four wounded by shrapnel because of the strike, while also tweeting that “7 citizens were killed”, in addition to reporting that two militants and “a number of innocent citizens’ were killed. According to @NoonArabia, “2 citizens instantly killed in bus passing by mosque while bombarded”.

Adlhla Press reported that the strike was believed to be carried out by Americans with two missiles used. Residents of Jaar had told Aden al-Ghad that warplanes hovered at noon before launching missiles upon the mosque.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Religious Institution
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 7
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–2

Sources (38) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (13) [ collapse]

  • Pictures of the bombing of the Hamza Mosque in the city of Jaar and the damage to its shops on June 21, 2011. (Image posted by Majdi Naqib via Facebook)
  • Pictures of the bombing of the Hamza Mosque in the city of Jaar and the damage to its shops on June 21, 2011. (Image posted by Majdi Naqib via Facebook)
  • Photo 1: Destruction: June 21st- #Abyan: Hamzah Mosque Shelling in Ja'ar by warplanes. (Image posted by @YusraAlA)
  • Photo 2: Destruction: June 21st- #Abyan: Hamzah Mosque Shelling in Ja'ar by warplanes. (Image posted by @YusraAlA)
  • Photo 3: Destruction: June 21st- #Abyan: Hamzah Mosque Shelling in Ja'ar by warplanes. (Image posted by @YusraAlA)
  • Photo 4: Destruction: June 21st- #Abyan: Hamzah Mosque Shelling in Ja'ar by warplanes. (Image posted by @YusraAlA)
  • Photo 5: Destruction: June 21st- #Abyan: Hamzah Mosque Shelling in Ja'ar by warplanes.(Image posted by @YusraAlA)
  • Photo 6: Destruction: June 21st- #Abyan: Hamzah Mosque Shelling in Ja'ar by warplanes. (Image posted by @YusraAlA)
  • Photo 8: Destruction: June 21st- #Abyan: Hamzah Mosque Shelling in Ja'ar by warplanes. (Image posted by @YusraAlA)
  • Photo 9: Destruction: June 21st- #Abyan: Hamzah Mosque Shelling in Ja'ar by warplanes. (Image posted by @YusraAlA)
  • A man injured in Hamzah Mosque Shelling in Ja'ar by warplanes. (Image posted by Aldhla Press)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib Mosque (مسجد حمزة بن عبدالمطلب) in the town of Jaar (جعار), for which the generic coordinates are: 13.220151, 45.304792. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Religious Institution
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 7
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–2

Sources (38) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM045-B

Incident date

December 22, 2011

Location

زنجبار‎, Zinjibar, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.129059, 45.380422 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to five people, allegedly members of Al Qaeda, were killed in an alleged US drone strike or naval shelling on an extremist site in Bagdar neighborhood in the city of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province in southern Yemen on the evening of December 22nd, 2011 according to local sources and news outlets.

One of the casualties, Abdulrahman al Wuhayshi, was reportedly a relative of Nasser al Wuhayshi, a Yemeni who lead AQAP and was once Osama bin Laden’s personal aide in Afghanistan according to the sources. Local journalist Mohamad gad (@mohamadgad0) and other sources such as USA Today claimed that Abdulrahman was Nasser’s brother, however others such as Reuters reported that a security source said he was related to Nasser but “not a brother or a member of Nasser al-Wuhayshi’s immediate family circle”. According to the Long War Journal, the role of Abdulrahman in AQAP is unknown, and his death has not been confirmed by AQAP. Reuters also mentioned that “there was no word of any death of a leading militant on Islamist websites where al Qaeda often announces such news”.

Regarding the type of the attack, Almasdar online, Adengad and other local sources reported that five members of Al Qaeda organization were killed in a US naval shelling on a site near the city of Zinjibar. Whereas, other sources including Reuters and National Yemen who were reporting the death of Abdulrahman claimed that he was killed by a US drone strike. On the other hand, USA today said that according to AP “Yemeni security and military officials say a brother of Yemen’s Al Qaeda leader was among five people killed in the latest of a series of battles raging for days in the south of the country”.

The incident occured in the evening.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike, Naval bombardment
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    5

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention that a district in the town of Zinjibar (زنجبار‎) in the Abyan governorate was targeted. It is unclear which district is referred to. The generic coordinates for the town of Zinjibar (زنجبار‎) are: 13.129059, 45.380422. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike, Naval bombardment
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    5

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM082-C

Incident date

May 15, 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 13 and 26 civilians – 14 of whom were named – died and 21 other civilians were injured in two or more alleged US, Yemeni, or Saudi airstrikes on the same location in Jaar on May 15, 2012, according to sources. An additional three to 25 AQAP members were also killed in the strikes.

Reports said that two or more strikes in quick succession reduced an entire block to rubble. Initial reports from government sources claimed two or three senior Al Qaeda militants were killed as well as at least eight civilians. This changed as more details emerged in subsequent reports.

Amnesty International identified 14 civilian victims by name – including a pregnant woman: 33 year old taxi driver Nuweir al-Arshani and the 12 others that died in the second strike as Majed Ahmed Abdullah Awad, aged 26; Salem Mohsen Haidar al Jalladi, aged around 35; Adeeb Ahmed Ghanem al-Doba’i, Mohammed Abdullah Saleh Hussein, Munir bin al-Haji bin al Assi, Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed al-Shahari, Salem Abdullah Ahmed Abkar, Hussein Mubarak Ahmed, Abd al-Rahman Motahhar, Hafez Abdullah Mubarak, Mohsen Ali Salem and Amir al-Azzani. Mariam Abdo Sa’id, aged in her thirties and pregnant, was reportedly a passer-by hit by flying shrapnel and died. Samir al-Mushari, 31, was wounded in the strike and suffered burns. Survivor Samir al-Mushari told USA Today 26 civilians died.

The strike was variously labelled as the work of US drones or a “botched” Yemen Air Force raid. Witnesses told NPR they were sure the strike was carried out by a US jet that was grey and “looked like an eagle”. And in January 2013 an investigation by the London Times reported the strike as a possible attack by a Saudi Arabian bomber. One resident described the aircraft he saw: “It wasn’t Yemeni. It was a black plane. It was Saudi.”

There was a consensus among reports that there were more than one strike on at least one house and possible also on some vehicles.

Al-Haidari reported that eight bodies were initially found and twenty-five people were hurt. Four of those twenty-five later died from their injuries.

CNN reported militants were killed in the first strike and civilians who gathered at the scene were killed in the second.

The BBC reported that civilians “were hit as they were trying to dig out the bodies of those killed in the initial attack.” Abdullah was badly burnt in the second strike. He told NPR the man who died in the first strike was just an ordinary citizen. The second strike killed at least 12 people instantly. ‘”They were cut…in pieces,” he said. “A wall where the second strike hit is still covered in blood.”

The owner of the house Nouir Muhammad Abdullah al Arshani, 33, (aka Nuweir al Arshani) was killed in the initial strike. Thirteen more died in the second attack “a few minutes” later.

Amnesty noted that residents and relatives vouched that al Arshani was unrelated to AQAP while some residents claimed that the house behind him had been rented to AQAP. His brother insisted that this was not the case. Witness accounts said that  “At around 8am or 8.30am, an aircraft flying low over Jaar roared towards al Hurur…and bombed Nuweir’s home. I saw pieces of the house flying through the air and thick dust… I and others ran to the site to help. The house was reduced to rubble and I could hear women screaming from the house just behind it… we helped around five to seven women and children get out of that house, and then a child saw parts of Nuweir’s body amid the rubble. We dug in and removed his body and placed it in the car of someone who took him to the [MSF] medical centre.” He continued that AQAP militants in an ambulance arrived and then left but an argument developed over their presence and the strike. That was when the second strike occurred.

Passers-by gathered at the scene and the aircraft “returned and bombed and fired into the crowd.” Nour Awad Haydara al Hawla, 60, was among the wounded. She suffered a stroke at the shock of the explosions near her home.

Amnesty and Swiss rights group Alkarama, who independently investigates the strike, also published the names of 12 men killed in the follow-up attack. Hassan Ahmed Abdullah‘s brother died in the strike. He told al Akbar:

“About 15 minutes later [after the initial strike], another plane suddenly struck the same building killing 15 people, including my brother. He was wounded by shrapnel in his chest, liver, and neck. He also had burns on 50 percent of his body.”

Ahmed Abdullah Awad‘s son Majed was injured in the follow-up attack. In June 2013 he told Code Pink activists in Aden what happened:

“Majed was burned over 50 percent of his body…But there is only an emergency clinic in Ja’ar, and they said he was too seriously injured to be treated there. The nearest hospital is in Aden, and the main road was closed. It took four hours to get there. I held him in my arms while we were driving, and he kept bleeding. On the third day in the hospital, at 2:30 a.m., Majed’s heart stopped and he died.”

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), Alkarama and HOOD submitted testimony of victims and witnesses of strikes in Yemen to an April 2013 Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing. The submission included testimony from taxi driver Muhammad Salih Abdullah al Amri, 65. He said:

“I was working on my car when I heard the sound of an explosion…I asked the people in the area what happened and they said that a strike had targeted the al Ashrani house. My house is adjacent to the al Ashrani house. I came and found that my house had been destroyed. Three members of my family had been in the house. One of them was injured, while the other two were not hurt. I took all of them and moved them to the house of one of my relatives in the city…The aircraft returned to bomb the people who had gathered to aid the wounded from the first strike. Rockets fell a few meters away from me. I was in my car and saw that it was on fire. I quickly got out of the car and saw a number of people in front of me lying on the ground. They were burning without any clothes. I saw at least seven or eight of them die at that moment.”

The Red Cross said it was “extremely concerned” at possible airstrikes on civilian locations and urged all warring parties to protect civilian life. The civilian death toll was the highest attributed to US action in Yemen since an attack on a former police station in Mudiya killed up to 30 civilians on July 14 2011 (USYEM022-C).

In April 2013, the US State Department’s annual report on Yemen’s human rights practices was published. In a section titled Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life, the report noted: “Attacks by government forces targeting AQAP and other non-state actors resulted in the deaths of civilians and bystanders, according to Amnesty International (AI). For example, on May 15, an air strike killed a civilian in his home in Jaar, and a second airstrike on the same location reportedly killed at least 13 civilians who gathered at the scene.” The State Department made no mention of possible US involvement in the attack.

The incident occured at 09:00:00 local time.

The victims were named as:

Mariam Abdo Said
35 years old female pregnant Pregnant killed
Nour Awad Haydara al Hawla
60 years old female injured
Majed Ahmed Abdullah Awad
26 years old male Reportedly killed in the follow-up attack killed
Salem Mohsen Haidar al Jalladi
35 years old male Reportedly killed in the follow-up attack killed
Adeeb Ahmed Ghanem al Doba’i
18 years old male Reportedly killed in the follow-up attack killed
Mohammed Abdullah Saleh Hussein
30 years old male Reportedly killed in the follow-up attack killed
Munir bin al Haji bin al Assi
25 years old male Reportedly killed in the follow-up attack killed
Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed al Shahari
26 years old male Reportedly killed in the follow-up attack killed
Salem Abdullah Ahmed Abkar
40 years old male Reportedly killed in the follow-up attack killed
Hussien Mubarak Ahmed
40 years old male Reportedly killed in the follow-up attack killed
Abd al Rahman Motahhar
23 years old male Reportedly killed in the follow-up attack killed
Hafez Abdullah Mubarak
25 years old male Reportedly killed in the follow-up attack killed
Amir al Azzani
45 years old male Reportedly killed in the follow-up attack killed
Hassan Ahmed Abdullah‘s brother
Adult male killed
Ahmed Abdullah Awad‘s son, Majed
Adult male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    13 – 26
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    21
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Saudi-led Coalition, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3–25

Sources (59) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • A boy stands next to his grandmother, Noor Awad al-Houla, 60, at their house in the southern Yemeni town of Jaar on February 1, 2013. The woman suffered a stroke that left her paralyzed after an air strike hit a neighboring house last year that was targeting al Qaeda-linked militants. (Khaled Abdullah Ali Al Mahdi/Reuters)
  • Damage caused by alleged US, Saudi, or Yemeni airstrikes in Jaar on May 15, 2012 (Image posted by NPR)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention that a double airstrike targeted suspected militant vehicles and a building in a residential neighbourhood of the town of Ja’ar (جعار), in the Abyan (أبين‎) governorate. The first strike hit around 9 in the morning, the second 15 minutes later, killing civilians who had rushed to the site of the first strike. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for the town of Ja’ar (جعار) are: 13.223161, 45.305486.

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Saudi-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Saudi-led Coalition
  • Saudi-led Coalition 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
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    13 – 26
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    21
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Saudi-led Coalition, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3–25

Sources (59) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM132-B

Incident date

October 21, 2012

Location

الحرقان عبيدة, Wadi Obeida, Marib, Yemen

Geolocation

15.569758, 45.443000 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

According to local and international media, on October 21st 2012 at around 8pm, a suspected US airstrike struck a Prado car, in the Hami and Al Damashqa area in the Obeida valley around 17km east of the city of Ma’arib, carrying three to four suspected Al Qaeda militants, killing everyone in the car. There are currently no known reports of civilian harm.

Yemen Press quoted local sources confirmed that a drone had killed at least four suspected Al Qaeda militants in the Obeida valley, including two Al Qaeda leaders. They reportedly heard four explosions, believed to be from the missiles “fired by the plane, adding that another car, believed to be tracking Al Qaeda militants, arrived at the scene of the accident and retrieved the bodies of the victims and took them to an unknown location.” The same sources reported to Yemen Press that there “is unconfirmed news indicating that “Sanad Eidan Al-Aqili” was killed in the operation.” Sanad Eidan Al-Aqili is the brother of a former leader in Al Qaeda, Hassan Al-Aqiliin Al-Qaeda, who was killed in Abyan governorate months before.

AFP also reported that local Al Qaeda commander Sanad Ouraidan al Aqili (aka Sanad Abdulla al Aqili) was among the dead. “Aqili’s three companions, whose bodies were blown to pieces, have not been identified yet,” a local policeman told AFP. Tribal sources in Ubaidah explained to the Al-Madina News that they “heard successive explosions, believed to be from missiles fired by the plane, noting that other Al Qaeda elements “rushed to the place and recovered the bodies that they could not determine the number or identity of their owners.”

AFP also quoted an unnamed tribal source as saying that “An unmanned aircraft fired a missile at a car in which four Al Qaeda operatives were traveling, which led to the burning of the car and the killing of those in it” and that “the attack took place on Sunday evening, 17 km east of the city of Ma’rib.”

Almotamar News also reported al-Aqili’’s death as a result of the strike. On Twitter, the Journalist Secretary of Ma’arib tweeted that three killed in the strike were foreign and that one was Yemeni: Saad al-Aqili. CNN also recieved information from a source saying that it was likely that Sanad Arifan Al-Aqili was killed in the strike.

A security source told CNN that a plane “launched an attack on a vehicle that was carrying a group of Al Qaeda militants in the Al-Batha area in Wadi Ubaida,” indicating that four were killed in the attack against a group of “Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula” leaders. The former jihadist, Tariq Al-Fadhli, revealed in a television interview that Wadi Ubaidah “is the main place for transferring spoils and financing Al Qaeda.

The incident occured at 20:00:00 local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3–4

Sources (28) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Damage caused by alleged US airstrikes on October 21, 2012. (Image posted by almotamar)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention that a car was targeted in the Hami and Al Damashqa area in the Obeida valley (الحرقان عبيدة), around 17km east of the city of Ma’arib (مَأْرِب). Airwars was unable to locate Hami or Al Damashqa, however, the generic coordinates for the area 17km east of Ma’rib, in Obeida valley, are: 15.569758, 45.443000.

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3–4

Sources (28) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEMTr174-C

Incident date

July 22, 2018

Location

الروضة, Al Rawda, Ma'rib, Yemen

Geolocation

15.448882, 45.345554 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least three alleged AQAP militants were reportedly killed, and another injured, by a US drone strike against a house in Al Rawda, Marib governorate, on the evening of July 22nd 2018. A few social media sources at the time suggested that the strike had instead killed civilians.

A later US Central Command statement indicated that a strike had taken place on July 22nd, but CENTCOM later told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism that this declared strike was in Hadramout governorate rather than Marib, with the Bureau noting that “US Central Command said it conducted strikes on July 22 and 24, both in Hadramout governorate, in response to a Bureau query on the monthly strike total.”

Two local language Twitter sources, @ALARSH_NEWS and @HHHE201001, reported that a US drone had targeted Internally Displaced Persons in Rawdat Thanah, killing three and resulting in “a number” of wounded. Another Twitter account, @Abbas_477, stated only that a US drone was “bombing citizens in Marib”.

Most, however, indicated that AQAP militants were killed in the alleged strike. Anatolia Agency reported that three militants were killed and one injured, when a US drone targeted a meeting taking place in a house, according to a security officer.

Others, including AP, AFP, and local language social-media sources, indicated that a strike had killed four militants. Tribal leaders told AP that four bodies, allegedly AQAP militants, were found after the attack. One source, @ShabbirTuri, suggested that ten had died, though this figure is potentially a misinterpretation of a confusing AFP headline.

In its annual civilian casualty report to Congress issued in April 2019, the US Department of Defense stated that it had assessed “no credible reports of civilian casualties resulting from US military actions in Yemen during 2018″.

Responding to Airwars’ publication of its Yemen dataset and accompanying report in October 2020, CENTCOM dismissed all but two civilian harm claims under President Trump, asserting that “USCENTCOM conducted a thorough review of the information AirWars provided regarding allegations of potential civilian harm caused by USCENTCOM strikes in Yemen from 2017-2020… The bulk of the information asserted by AirWars, however, did not correspond with dates and locations of U.S. military strikes or raids in Yemen.   Other AirWars allegations either did not allege civilian harm or were not assessed as credible upon our review.”

The incident occured in the evening.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3–10
  • Belligerents reported injured
    1

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention a house being struck in the Al Rawda (الروضة) area, south of Mar’ib (مأرب) city. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Al Rawda are: 15.448882, 45.345554.

  • Reports of the incident mention a house being struck in the Al Rawda (الروضة) area, south of Mar’ib (مأرب) city.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    No reason given
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None

Civilian casualty statements

US Forces
  • Nov 5, 2020
  • Apr 29, 2019

  • C. U.S. military action in Yemen against al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and ISIS During 2018, U.S. forces deployed to Yemen continued to work towards disrupting and degrading the terrorist threat posed by AQAP and ISIS. U.S. forces conducted 36 airstrikes against AQAP and ISIS operatives and facilities in Yemen and supported United Arab Emirates and Yemen-led efforts to clear AQAP from Shabwah Governorate. DoD has no credible reports of civilian casualties resulting from U.S. military actions in Yemen during 2018.

  • Via email to Airwars: U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) continues to focus on ways to minimize civilian casualties during its military operations. We assess or review all reports of civilian casualties because such assessments or reviews help us identify ways to improve our operations and counter misinformation and propaganda. We routinely share the results of every one of our assessments in Department of Defense (DoD) reports to Congress, including annual reports, many of which are publicly available. We also share the results of our assessments or reviews with the public via the USCENTCOM website and our statements to the media. Individuals wishing to understand U.S. military operations in Yemen more fully should consult these official sources of information. USCENTCOM conducted a thorough review of the information AirWars provided regarding allegations of potential civilian harm caused by USCENTCOM strikes in Yemen from 2017-2020. Of the information AirWars provided, one strike on September 14, 2017, was assessed to have caused injuries to two civilians. Also, as previously released by USCENTCOM to the public in February 2017, USCENTCOM acknowledged there may have been civilian casualties during a raid on January 29, 2017. The bulk of the information asserted by AirWars, however, did not correspond with dates and locations of U.S. military strikes or raids in Yemen. Other AirWars allegations either did not allege civilian harm or were not assessed as credible upon our review. Consistent with our mission, our authorities, and our obligations under the law of war, USCENTCOM will continue to conduct military actions in Yemen when required to protect the Nation and our allies and partners from al Qa’ida and ISIS terror cells that are committed to inflicting terror. In every strike and raid, we take careful measures to minimize civilian harm and take responsibility for our actions. When our military operations result in reports of civilian harm, we will continue to assess the credibility of such reports to help us identify ways to improve our operations and respond as appropriate.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3–10
  • Belligerents reported injured
    1

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEMBi012

Incident date

June 22, 2023

Location

الكور, Al-Kour, Shabwa, Yemen

Airwars assessment

Three Al Qaeda members were killed by alleged US drone strikes on the Al-Kour area in Shabwa on June 22, 2023.

26sep News reported that American strikes on the Al-Kour area in Shabwa resulted in the death of three Al Qaeda members. There are no additional details about those who were killed available.

All of the sources attributed the casualties to US strikes, with many of the sources mentioning drones.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Alleged US drone strikes in Shabwa on June 22, 2023. (Image posted by @shomokh774)

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM010-B

Incident date

March 14, 2010

Location

مودية, Moudia, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.948639, 46.202048 Note: The accuracy of this location is to District level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A night time precision strike reportedly carried out by the Yemeni air force or the US forces killed between two and nine militants in an air raid on a suspected terrorist training site in Abyan province on March 14, 2010.

Al-Jazeera reported “Local residents told the Reuters news agency that as many as 20 civilians may have been killed in those attacks targeting Al Qaeda.” AFP reported civilian casualties of an unknown number, adding that “some said they fled their homes in fear of being targeted by the strikes.” It is likely that the civilian casualties referred to occurred during the strikes on the following day, March 15th (assessed in USYEM011-C).

According to AFP, Jamil Nasser Abdullah al-Anbari, also known as Abi Saber al-Abyani, believed to be the leader of Al Qaeda in southern Abyan province, was one of two militants killed.

However, Critical Threats reported that three alleged Al Qaeda members were killed – the others named as Samir al Sanaani, (also known as Abu Fawwaz al-Sanaani or Amin al-Maqalih), and Ahmed Amzarba.The Long War Journal quoted the Yemeni Defense Ministry, who claimed the two Al Qaeda commanders were plotting to carry out attacks “against vital installations” inside Yemen. Gregg Carlstrom, a correspondent for The Economist, added that one of the men killed was from Saudi Arabia.

A brief statement from the Yemen government said the raids were carried out in Moudia, with an official saying that up to nine people died.

Yemeni soldiers were reportedly dispatched to the scene of this and the subsequent strike to take samples from corpses for DNA analysis. AQAP later set up a Jamil al Anbari Martyrs’ Brigade, and released an audio eulogy to the “fallen fighters”, which stated that Al-Anbari and al-Maqalih (Sanaani) was trying to connect to the net when he was killed by an air raid in the area of Jiza in Abyan province therefore reportedly confirming these deaths.

Gregg Carlstrom, a correspondent for The Economist posted on Twitter that: “Some speculation in the Yemeni press that the Abyan airstrike targeted the Southern Movement, not AQAP. Saleh’s people deny, naturally.”

The New York Times referred to this incident as “the next known American strike” without citing how this was known, adding that the strike killed “Al Qaeda operative named Jamil al-Anbari and possibly another militant” and that “on June 19, the group retaliated with a lethal attack on a government security compound in Aden that left 11 people dead and said the “brigade of the martyr Jamil al-Anbari” carried it out.”

The incident occured at approximately 10:00 pm local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected targets
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2–9
  • Belligerents reported injured
    2

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    The aftermath of the strike (Al Motamar, March 15, 2010)
  • Explosion from the strike (Al Jazeera, March 15, 2010)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the Moudia (مودية) district, for which the generic coordinates are: 13.948639, 46.202048. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

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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
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected targets
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2–9
  • Belligerents reported injured
    2

Sources (20) [ collapse]