Civilian Casualty Archive

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936 incidents

Incident Date

29 July 2017

Incident Code

USSOM083

Location

Tortoroow, Lower Shabelle, Somalia
On November 17th, US Africa Command sent the Bureau of Investigative Journalism a list of previously unreported actions, which included this strike. An AFRICOM spokesperson explained that their goal "is to be as transparent as possible while taking into account operational security, force protection and diplomatic sensitivities." It therefore did not proactively release information about…

Summary

Published
29 July 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike
Military actors reported killed
1
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

28 July 2017

Incident Code

USSOM082

Location

Southern Somalia, Bay, Somalia
On November 17th 2017, US Africa Command sent the Bureau of Investigative Journalism a list of previously unreported strikes, which included this one. No casualties were reported. An AFRICOM spokesperson explained that their goal "is to be as transparent as possible while taking into account operational security, force protection and diplomatic sensitivities." It therefore did…

Summary

Published
28 July 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

23 July 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr092

Location

جبل المراقشه, Jabal Al Maraqisha, Abyan, Yemen
Multiple sources reported that US airstrikes, or possibly US naval strikes, targeted alleged AQAP militants in the Al Maraqisha area of Abyan governorate, late on July 23rd 2017. Other sources reported similar strikes in the area the previous night, though did not assign responsibility to the US. There were no known reports of civilian harm.…

Summary

Published
23 July 2017
Strike Type
Naval bombardment, Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Military actors reported killed
2
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

23 July 2017

Incident Code

USSOM081

Location

Galcayo, Mudug, Somalia
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…

Summary

Published
23 July 2017
Strike Type
Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

21 July 2017

Incident Code

USSOM080

Location

Tortoroow, Lower Shabelle, Somalia
On November 17th, US Africa Command sent the Bureau of Investigative Journalism a list of previously unreported strikes, which included this one. No casualties were reported. An AFRICOM spokesperson explained that their goal "is to be as transparent as possible while taking into account operational security, force protection and diplomatic sensitivities." It therefore did not…

Summary

Published
21 July 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

20 July 2017

Incident Code

USSOM079

Location

Gaduud, Lower Juba, Somalia
On November 17th 2017, US Africa Command sent the Bureau of Investigative Journalism a list of previously unreported strikes, which included this one. An AFRICOM spokesperson explained that their goal "is to be as transparent as possible while taking into account operational security, force protection and diplomatic sensitivities." It therefore did not proactively release information…

Summary

Published
20 July 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

15 July 2017

Incident Code

USSOM078

Location

Sunguuni, Lower Juba, Somalia
On November 17th 2017, US Africa Command sent the Bureau of Investigative Journalism a list of previously unreported strikes, which included this one. An AFRICOM spokesperson explained that their goal "is to be as transparent as possible while taking into account operational security, force protection and diplomatic sensitivities." It therefore did not proactively release information…

Summary

Published
15 July 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

13 July 2017

Incident Code

USSOM077

Location

حرمك, Kunya Barrow, Middle Juba, Somalia
US and Somali special forces carried out a night raid on an al Shabaab-held village in southern Somalia, the district commissioner and a senior Somali intelligence official told reporters. It was the second US operation in the village in two weeks. "Several al-Shabaab fighters" are thought to have been killed according to NBC. Two helicopters…

Summary

Published
13 July 2017
Strike Type
Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
Military actors reported killed
2
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

9–10 July, 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr091

Location

عزان, Azzan, Shabwa, Yemen
According to several sources, a US drone strike targeted alleged AQAP militants in or near Azzan, in Shabwa governorate, overnight from July 9th-10th 2017.  There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Multiple sources reported that an unnamed AQAP leader was killed in the strike, which some suggested targeted a car, killing all inside.…

Summary

Published
9 July 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Military actors reported killed
2
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

9 July 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr090

Location

الصبار, الوضيع, Al Sabbar, Al Wade'a District, Abyan, Yemen
US drone strikes targeted AQAP sites in the  Sabar area of Wadea district in Abyan province, late on July 9th 2017, a Yemeni military official told Xinhua. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. According to Xinhua, "Overnight airstrikes launched by a U.S. drone hit a number of al-Qaida-held sites in Yemen's turbulent…

Summary

Published
9 July 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Military actors reported killed
1
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

5 July 2017

Incident Code

USSOM076

Location

Luglaaw, Lower Juba, Somalia
US forces were involved in a "self-defence strike operation" with Somali National Army (SNA) forces "against an al Shabaab troop concentration" in the country's south, according to an Africa Command (AFRICOM) press release. The statement did not include a casualty count, saying it "will continue to assess the results of the operation, and will provide…

Summary

Published
5 July 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike, Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
Military actors reported killed
10–13
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

2 July 2017

Incident Code

USSOM074

Location

حرمك, Kunya Barrow, Middle Juba, Somalia
A US airstrike in the Lower Shabelle region targeting al Shabaab insurgents killed one member of the terror group, according to AFRICOM. The victim may have been the leader of the group's intelligence wing, Andullahi Haji Daud. There are currently no known associated reports of civilian harm. The strike hit in the south of the…

Summary

Published
2 July 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike
Military actors reported killed
1
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

2–10 July, 2017

Incident Code

USSOM075-C

Location

O'wdhiile, 55 miles south of Mogadishu, Lower Shabelle, Somalia
An airstrike reportedly killed up to two civilians in O'wdhille, a village about 55 miles south of Mogadishu, according to findings from a field investigation by The Nation. Reporter Amanda Sperber detailed the account of Osman [not his real name] whose relatives were reportedly killed in the strike: "Around 5 pm in early July 2017, Osman…

Summary

Published
2 July 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike
Civilians reported killed
2
Civilians reported injured
1
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

1 July–31 December, 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr089

Location

مريب, Ma'rib, Yemen
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.…

Summary

Published
1 July 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Military actors reported killed
3–5
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

1 July 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr088

Location

وادي الملح أو بيرالشطحة ,الوضيع, Bir Al Shahata or Wadi Al Malh, Al Wade'a, Abyan, Yemen
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…

Summary

Published
1 July 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Military actors reported killed
2–3
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

16 June 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr086

Location

جسر السلام, Al Salam Bridge, Shabwa, Yemen
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,…

Summary

Published
16 June 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Military actors reported killed
3
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

11 June 2017

Incident Code

USSOM073

Location

Bohol Jawarey, Middle Juba, Somalia
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…

Summary

Published
11 June 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Military actors reported killed
8
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

3 June 2017

Incident Code

USSOM072

Location

Welmarow, Lower Juba, Somalia
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 …

Summary

Published
3 June 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

23 May 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr084-C

Location

النجاد العذلان, Al Nijad Al Adhlan, Ma'rib, Yemen
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…

Summary

Published
23 May 2017
Strike Type
Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground), Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Infrastructure
Residential
Civilians reported killed
2–12
Civilians reported injured
2–10
Military actors reported killed
4–9
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions, Small arms and light weapons
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

23 May 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr085

Location

البديع, Al Buday, Al Bayda, Yemen
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…

Summary

Published
23 May 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike), Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
Military actors reported killed
0–2
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions, Small arms and light weapons
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

8 May 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr083

Location

صحن الجن, Sahn Al Jin, Ma'rib, Yemen
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…

Summary

Published
8 May 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Military actors reported killed
12–24
Causes of Death / Injury
Incendiary, Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

4–5 May, 2017

Incident Code

USSOM071

Location

دار السلام, Andalus Radio, Darusalaam, Lower Shabelle, Somalia
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…

Summary

Published
5 May 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike, Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
Military actors reported killed
4–9
Causes of Death / Injury
Small arms and light weapons, Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

30 April 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr081-C

Location

الجيف, Al Jayf, Ma'rib, Yemen
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…

Summary

Published
30 April 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Infrastructure
Vehicle
Civilians reported killed
0–2
Military actors reported killed
1–5
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

30 April 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr082

Location

المدارة, Al Madara, Abyan, Yemen
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…

Summary

Published
30 April 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

29 April 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr080

Location

تمورة ,شرق الغرير, Tamoura, east of Ghurair, Shabwa, Yemen
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…

Summary

Published
29 April 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Military actors reported killed
1–4
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

23 April 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr079-C

Location

الضلعه, Al Dhula'ah, Shabwa, Yemen
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…

Summary

Published
23 April 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Infrastructure
Vehicle
Civilians reported killed
3–8
Military actors reported killed
3–8
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

18–19 April, 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr077

Location

عطران, Atran, Ma'rib, Yemen
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…

Summary

Published
18 April 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Military actors reported killed
4
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

18 April 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr078

Location

الطريق بين الحوطة و عزان, Road between Al Hawtah and Azzan, Shabwa, Yemen
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…

Summary

Published
18 April 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Military actors reported killed
2–5
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

18–19 April, 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr076

Location

بين حصن الجلال والشبوان, Between Husun Al Jalal and Al Shabwan, Ma'rib, Yemen
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,…

Summary

Published
18 April 2017
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Military actors reported killed
3–4
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

16 April 2017

Incident Code

USYEMTr073

Location

مودية, Western outskirts of Mudiyah, Abyan, Yemen
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…

Summary

Published
16 April 2017
Strike Type
Naval bombardment, Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Military Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident