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
A suspected al Shabaab associate who once lived in the US was arrested during a mission in Somalia, a US Africa Command spokesperson told AP. It was a Somali-led mission with “limited tactical advisory support” from the US, spokesperson Jennifer Dyrcz said. The suspect, identified as Abdirizak Tahlil, was accused of “facilitating the use of improvised
A US airstrike targeted AQAP in Bayda governorate on January 25th 2018, a US Central Command spokesperson later told the Long War Journal. Our Arabic-language researchers found no local reports of a US strike on that day, and there were no known claims of civilian harm.
A reported US drone strike killed al Shabaab’s head of domestic intelligence in a night time action near Kunyo Barrow. While the action was apparently confirmed by Somali military radio, AFRICOM did not declare a strike on this date – indicating a possible CIA action. Voice of America reporter Harun Maruf first mentioned the strike
A US airstrike was called in to support a Somali forces unit under attack from al Shabaab, AFRICOM reported the next day. According to the official press release, “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab terrorists who engaged Somali National Army Danab Unit near Bangeeni, Somalia,
Multiple sources reported that US airstrikes targeted alleged AQAP militants in al-Jasima, in the Qaifa area of Bayda governorate, overnight from March 1st to March 2nd. Mareb Press reported that the strikes killed one and wounded another, apparently with reference to alleged militants. There were no known reports of civilian casualties. The reported strikes were
US drone strikes reportedly targeted alleged AQAP militants in the Al Muhajjab district of Al Wade’a in Abyan governorate, overnight from March 30th to March 31st. However several different villages were suggested as the location or locations of the action. There are no known associated reports of civilian harm. Several sources, including Al Araby, reported
In an email to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, US Central Command stated that a strike took place against an AQAP “target” on July 1st 2017 in Abyan governorate. This confirmed earlier reports that at least one US drone strike targeted at least two alleged AQAP militants in the Wadea district of Abyan governorate, on
At least five AQAP militants were reportedly killed in the course of at least four alleged US drone strikes in Qayfa, Bayda governorate, on the evening of January 12th 2018. According to local language news sources, strikes reportedly targeted the area of Al-Jassima. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. A source told
One local-language social media source, @wael_shaifan, suggested late on August 27th 2019 that at least one US drone strike had targeted gatherings of alleged AQAP militants in Al Houta town, Shabwa governorate. Three other social media sources further indicated that US strikes had taken place in Shabwa that evening, but did not offer specific information.
A US drone strike reportedly targeted alleged AQAP militants in the Wadi Obaida area of Marib city, in Marib governorate, on the evening of June 24th 2020, according to some sources. There were no known reports of civilian harm. One source, @ksa2030_n, claimed that a senior AQAP leader was killed in the strike. The Yemen
A US airstrike targeted Al Shabaab fighters near Saakow. The AFRICOM press release said: “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted one (1) airstrike targeting an al-Shabaab compound in the vicinity of Saakow, Somalia, Dec. 24. The initial assessment concluded the strike damaged the compound and several al-Shabaab fighters fled,
At least one civilian, a woman, was killed and up to seven other civilians, including five children, were injured alleged US drone strikes or Kenyan airstrikes on the town of Ceel-Cadde in the Gedo region on June 2-3, 2021. Halgan Media reported that suspected US drones or Kenyan fighter jets carried out strikes on a home
Between 12 and 117 alleged al-Shabaab militants were killed by declared AFRICOM airstrikes and/or Somali National Army operations in Donlaye, near Amara town, on February 10, 2023. AFRICOM released a statement on February 12th that “At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia and in support of Somali National Army engagements against al-Shabaab, U.S. Africa
13 al-Shabaab militants were killed by declared US airstrikes in the vicinity of Seiera in Lower Jubba on August 26, 2023. AFRICOM announced that “At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted a collective self-defense airstrike against al Shabaab terrorists in the vicinity of Seiera, Somalia, approximately 45 kilometers northwest
Alleged US airstrikes or Yemeni airstrikes in Jaar and Zinjibar on May 10, 2012 reportedly killed up to 24 alleged militants and nine others were injured, with some sources reporting possible civilian casualties. Although initially reported as the work of the Yemen Air Force, a senior Yemen government official told CNN that the attacks were
Two suspected Al Qaeda militants were killed and three were injured in an alleged US drone strike which hit a vehicle in Manaseh in al-Bayda province on December 24th, 2012 at 5pm. No civilian harm has been reported. According to Reuters, AFP, and AP, two Al Qaeda militants were killed when a drone strike hit
Two US strikes took place in Somalia on November 12th, with one targeting al Shabaab and the other hitting Islamic State, according to US Africa Command. The strikes killed “several” fighters, it said. The first strike against al Shabaab is recorded in a separate event. The second attack was carried out at approximately 0900 local
US forces carried out a strike against al Shabaab in an area around 50 kilometres north of Kismayo, a US Africa Command spokesperson later told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Post-strike analysis had not revealed the number of militants killed, a US spokesperson told the Bureau in an email exchange on July 31st. The event
AFRICOM reported that the previous day it had “conducted two (2) airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab militants near Jilib, Middle Juba Region, Somalia, on January 23, 2019.” It also asserted that “at this time we assess no civilians were injured or killed in these airstrikes.” AFRICOM gave no figures on the number of belligerents killed. Associated Press
The US military carried out a “precision airstrike” targeting an ISIS-Somalia encampment in the Golis Mountains, according to a press release issued the following day by US Africa Command. AFRICOM said it had assessed that the strke killed four members of ISIS-Somalia and that no civilians were harmed. “At this time, it is assessed the
The US conducted its first known strike against so-called Islamic State in Somalia. CNN reported that both strikes were carried out by armed drone. According to Associated Press, “A US official said the strikes were carried out in northeastern Somalia, with the first around midnight local time and the second later in the morning. The
French commandos failed to a rescue a French spy held hostage by al Shabaab since 2009. Paris claimed the militants executed the captured secret service agent, known by his alias Denis Allex, during an assault by 50 Special Forces troops. However al Shabaab’s media wing said the hostage survived. Seventeen alleged militants were reportedly killed
The US military reported on the same day that it had carried out an airstrike in the vicinity of Jilib against al Shabaab fighters. It was not clear which of two locally reported targets – or indeed both – were struck. Unusually, AFRICOM made no mention of the number of militant fighters it believed had
Several sources reported that US airstrikes targeted AQAP militants in Wadi Yashbum, Shabwa province, at dawn on March 2nd 2017. Some local language Twitter sources reported that three areas of the Yashbum Valley had been targeted by US strikes simultaneously. There were some allegations of civilian harm from the wider US campaign in the area,
Multiple sources reported that US airstrikes targeted alleged AQAP sites in Yakl in the Qaifa area of Bayda governorate, overnight from March 4th to March 5th. One source reported that “civilians including a child” were killed during nighttime US strikes in Bayda governorate, of which this strike was one. It was unclear which specific strike(s)
A US drone strike reportedly killed alleged AQAP militant Khattab al-Wuhayshi and possibly his bodyguard in Mar’taa, in the Suma’a district of Bayda governorate, overnight from April 5th to April 6th 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Multiple sources, including AFP, reported that Khattab al-Wuhayshi was killed while riding a motorbike
A US drone strike targeted alleged AQAP militants in Bi’ir Shoudqa, Wadi Obeida area of Marib governorate, on June 28th 2018, a single source (@huodhoud) claimed. At around the same time, Yemeni sources began reporting that an alleged AQAP jurist, Abu Bihr Mohammed Darama, was killed by a US drone strike. It is unlikely Darama’s
A US drone strike reportedly targeted an alleged AQAP site in Al Hazma village, in the Wadi Obeida area of Marib governorate, at dawn on January 27th 2020. Multiple sources suggested that at least one alleged AQAP militant had died in the strike, and one source, Mint Press News, reported that civilians near the house
At least forty-seven civilians, including at least twenty-two children and twelve women, were reportedly killed after a US cruise-missile strike targeted an alleged AQAP training camp on the edge of Al-Majala village, Mahfad district of Abyan governorate, at around 6 AM on December 17th 2009. This was the first known strike in Yemen approved by
According to Somali official and media sources, an airstrike targeted a group of al Shabaab fighters in the vicinity of Ma’moodow town in Bakool province on January 29th. According to an official statement from the Security Ministry of South West State, the attack was conducted by “friends of Somalia.” Following requests for clarification, AFRICOM publicly