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 2017 US counterterrorism operation in Yemen killed Ibrahim al Asiri, a “senior al-Qa’ida bomb maker and terrorist coordinator”, US President Donald Trump announced on October 10th 2019. This statement confirmed several 2018 reports that al Asiri had likely been killed in a US drone strike in Marib governorate during the second half of 2017.
A US drone strike killed two suspected AQAP militants in southern Yemen late on June 30th 2017, residents and local sources told Reuters. No other known sources reported a strike at that time, and there were no associated reports of civilian harm. According to Reuters, “Another suspected U.S. drone strike killed two men believed to
On June 20th 2017, US Central Command announced that US forces had carried out an airstrike that had targeted and killed three AQAP militants in Shabwa governorate on June 16th 2017. This confirmed earlier reports that a US drone strike killed three alleged militants driving in Al Naqba, in the Habban district of Shabwa governorate,
A US strike on an al Shabaab “command and logistics node” killed eight members of the group, according to a US Africa Command press release. There were claims that Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame, a commander of the terror group’s intelligence wing was killed in the strike, though this was not confirmed by AFRICOM. No civilians were
AFRICOM denied conducting any recent airstrikes in Somalia, a VOA journalist reported – following recent claims of US activities in the Lower Juba region. According to SomNews, US forces had conducted a helicopter assault on the village of Welmarow on the evening of June 3rd: “Helicopters thought to be from United States military have launched
US airstrikes reportedly targeted alleged AQAP militants in the Badi Al Awad district of Bayda governorate at around 3am on May 23rd 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Several sources, including Yemeni security officials spoken with by the Associated Press, suggested that actions by US drones and helicopter gunships took place
Up to five civilians, including a fifteen-year-old boy and man over the age of 70, were reportedly killed in a US special forces ground operation in Al Khthala village, in the Al Jubah area of Marib governorate, beginning at around 1am on May 23rd 2017, though official US accounts of the raid claimed that there
Multiple local language sources reported that US airstrikes targeted alleged AQAP militants with “phosphorous bombs” near Sahn Al Jin, in Marib governorate, on May 8th 2017. Though most sources assigned responsibility to the US, two social media sources instead asserted that Saudi Arabian forces were responsible, leading Airwars to assess this event as Contested. There
In the first confirmed US kinetic operation since President Trump designated Somalia an active war zone in March 2017, one US Navy serviceman was killed and two or three others injured during an operation against al Shabaab in Somalia on May 5th (local time), the first declared American service member death in combat in the
In an email to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, US Central Command stated that a strike had targeted four “AQAP terrorists” in Marib governorate on April 29th 2017. This confirmed reports that a US drone strike had killed at least two alleged AQAP militants in Al Jayf area, Al Jubah district of Marib governorate, early
A US drone strike reportedly targeted alleged AQAP militants near Al Madara village, in the Mudiyah district of Abyan governorate, late on April 30th 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Multiple social-media sources, including @WeenAlEnfigar and @BaFana3, reported that US drones were seen flying in the area at the time, and
In an email to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, US Central Command confirmed that a strike had targeted three “AQAP terrorists” in Shabwa on April 29th. This confirmed earlier reports that a US drone strike had killed at least two alleged AQAP militants travelling in a Vitara car in the Tamoura area, in the Al
On April 24th 2017, Pentagon spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis stated that a US strike had killed eight AQAP militants in Shabwa governorate on the previous day, confirming earlier reports that an afternoon US drone strike in Al Dhula’ah, in the Al Said area, had killed eight people. Several sources reported, however, that at least three
A US drone strike reportedly killed at least two alleged AQAP militants travelling in the Hotat al-Faqih Ali area of Mayfa’a district in Shabwa governorate, late on April 18th 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Though most local language social media sources and other media, such as Sahafahnet, reported that two
Some reports suggested that a US drone strike killed four alleged AQAP militants in Atran area, Marib governorate, overnight from April 18th to April 19th 2017. There were no known reports of civilian harm. On April 24th 2017, Pentagon spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis stated that an April 18th strike had killed three al-Qaida militants in
On April 24th 2017, Pentagon spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis stated that a US strike six days earlier had killed three al-Qaida militants in Marib governorate. This confirmed earlier reports that a US drone strike had killed at least three alleged AQAP militants in Marib governorate, likely travelling on the road between Al-Shabwan and Husn Al-Jalal,
A US drone strike reportedly targeted alleged AQAP militants in Qarn Amarim village, Mudiyah district of Abyan governorate, on the evening of April 16th 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Some social media sources reported (for example @Demolinari) that a strike had taken place against militants travelling in a car in
A US naval strike reportedly targeted an alleged AQAP site on the northern outskirts of Mudiyah town, Abyan governorate, on the evening of April 16th 2017. There were no reported associated civilian or militant casualties. According to Aden al-Ghad, a missile exploded in Al Qassarat area, according to locals, but left no casualties. This was
A US naval strike reportedly targeted an alleged AQAP site on the western outskirts of Mudiyah town, in Abyan governorate, on the evening of April 16th 2017. There were no known reported civilian or militant casualties. According to Aden al-Ghad, a missile exploded near a medical clinic to the west of the town, according to
Chinese news agency Xinhua reported Somali security officials and residents as claiming that over 100 al Shabaab fighters, including 20 commanders, were killed in US air strikes on the morning of April 15th. The attack was denied by US Africa Command, which said the US military had not conducted the action. In an explicit statement
One usually-reliable Twitter source, @demolinari, indicated that a US drone strike had killed two “suspected” AQAP militants in Al-Sawma’ah district, Bayda governorate, on the afternoon of April 8th 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Several sources – for example Yemen Live News – reported that two alleged militants were killed around
A US drone strike reportedly killed two alleged AQAP militants in Al Sawma’ah district, Bayda governorate, on the evening of April 7th 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Several sources – for example Yemen Live News – reported that the alleged militants were killed while travelling on a motorbike in the
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
US drone and naval strikes reportedly targeted alleged AQAP militants in Wadi Al Sanif, in the Al Maraqisha area of Abyan governorate, late on April 5th 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Several sources, including AFP, reported that a US drone strike killed a local AQAP leader, Ahmed Ali Saana, while
A US drone strike reportedly targeted alleged AQAP militants travelling in a car near Al-Adwas, Hadramout governorate, likely overnight from April 2nd to April 3rd. There are no known associated reports of civilian harm. Several sources including YN News reported that AQAP militants were targeted, and one specified that they were targeted while in a
A US drone strike reportedly targeted the house of an alleged AQAP leader in Al Haq, in the Al-Mahfad district of Abyan governorate, at 11pm on April 2nd 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. According to Aden al-Ghad, local sources reported that the strike destroyed the house of AQAP leader Mohammed
US airstrikes reportedly targeted alleged AQAP camps in the Mogan area of Al Maraqisha, Abyan governorate, overnight from April 2nd to April 3rd 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm, or of belligerent casualties. According to Aden al-Ghad, a warplane launched several missiles at various locations in the area. Some sources such
US drone strikes reportedly targeted a large gathering of alleged AQAP militants near Al Shubayka, north of Ataq in Shabwa governorate, at around midnight from April 1st to April 2nd 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Several sources reported that the strikes targeted a meeting of AQAP leaders in Al-Shubayka village,
A reported airstrike targeted alleged AQAP militants to the west of Ahwar town, Abyan governorate, on April 1st 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Some sources reported that the strike came alongside an additional two actions on a farm to the east of Ahwar (USYEMTr063), indicating that the strike took place
Reported airstrikes, which some local sources said were US drone strikes, targeted alleged AQAP militants on a farm in the Al Sabkha area, east of Ahwar city, early on April 1st 2017. There are no known associated reports of civilian harm, though one report suggested that a civilian farm was destroyed. Several sources reported that