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
The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) declared an airstrike in a remote location near Beer Xaani, in the vicinity of Yaaq-Zaluul, in Somalia on June 3rd 2022. They declared that five Al-Shabaab militants were killed in this attack but that no civilians were injured or killed. In local reports, this was repeated and there were no
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
An airstrike on a car targeted Fahd al Qusaa, also known as Quso, an al Qaeda leader and suspect in the USS Cole bombing. It was a US attack, according to the New York Times quoting an AQAP representative. He claimed that Qusaa had left the car minutes earlier and was unharmed. According to the Long War Journal,
On the 9th of February, 2024, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducted an airstrike against Al-Shabaab near the village of Yaq Dabel, located to the west of the city of Kismayo in Lower Juba, Somalia. AFRICOM released a statement on the 14th of February regarding the strike which made reference to an initial post-strike assessment that
Alleged Al Qaeda local commander Abdullah Mehdar, suspected leader of the Al Qaeda cell in the Houta region, was reportedly killed by Yemen security forces, possibly with the assistance of US forces, on the evening of 12th January 2010 in Shabwa province, 375 miles east of Sana’a. There were no known associated reports of civilian
According to local Yemen officials, three areas in Zinjibar were struck by alleged US drone strikes or Yemeni military strikes, killing 29 to 30 Al Qaeda fighters and wounding dozens others on March 22, 2012. The website Arab Monitor stated that “dozens” were wounded in the attacks, which targeted alleged Al Qaeda bases. No other
Alleged US drone strikes killed up to 12 Al Qaeda militants in a compound used for communications and meetings in the eastern part of the al-Mahfad area located in Abyan Province the evening of the 1st of June 2012. There are currently no reports of civilian harm. Albashayer and CNN cited the lowest death toll
On January 19th 2013, between 7 and 10:30 pm, the first of three alleged US drone strikes in the Wadi Abidah region in al-Hatik in Marib struck an orange farm in the populated Al-Masil area in Al Dsaleel, Ra’ed Fadi Abdullah. There were no reported casualties, civilian or militant but according to eyewitnesses, the strike
Four alleged belligerents were reportedly killed by a US drone strike in Al Quraishyah, in Bayda governorate, on February 24th 2018. Two sources suggested that three of those killed were AQAP militants, and one of which indicated that the fourth victim was a commander in the Hadi military. There were no known reports of civilian
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.
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 a US strike in Mubaraak, two al Shabaab militants were killed along with a combatant with US partner forces, a US statement asserted the following day. Members of al Shabaab and the partner forces were also left wounded. US forces carried out a strike during a Somali partner forces-led operation against al Shabaab in
US Africa Command reported that two days previously, it had carried out an airstrike “in the vicinity of Gandarshe, Lower Shebelle Region, Somalia, on February 6, 2019.” AFRICOM reported that it “currently assesses the airstrike on February 6 killed 11 militants.” It added that “at this time, it was assessed no civilians were injured or
The US military carried out a fresh airstrike targeting al Shabaab (rather than ISIS) in the Golis Mountains, according to a press release issued by US Africa Command. The strike killed three al Shabaab fighters, AFRICOM asserted – saying that it currently assessed that no civilians had been harmed in the attack. This marked the
Local reporters alleged that US and Somali forces had killed four civilians including a mother and child, during an operation in Leego. Caasimada alleged that the civilians were killed around midnight, by Somali troops accompanied by ‘white US officers’, and claimed that the attacking forces had flown there from a military base to the north.
According to a single source, an airstrike by an unknown party hit the strategic village of Basra in Middle Shebelle. Goobjoog News stated that “Reports indicate that Airstrikes hit last night at Basra village in the Middle Shabelle Somalia. Residents of Basra village told Goobjoog News there were heavy attacks in the village amid reports
Three alleged AQAP militants, including at least one leadership figure, were reportedly killed by a US drone strike in Bayda governorate on March 30th 2019. Though most suggested that the strike took place in Sama’a district, two sources, including Xinhua, instead located the strike in the Anah or Tayeb area of Dhi Naseem district. Sources,
Multiple sources reported that US forces were involved in a combined arms operation that took place at dawn on March 2nd 2017 in Mogan, al-Maraqisha directorate, Abyan governorate. The action was variously alleged to have included airstrikes, naval bombardment, and troop landings. Some sources claimed the operation was implemented in cooperation with Emirati special forces
Several sources reported that a US drone strike killed at least one alleged AQAP militant travelling in a car in Wadi Yashbum, Shabwa governorate, at 4pm on March 6th 2017. There are no known associated reports of civilian harm. Casualty assessments varied. According to Yemenat, the strike “resulted in the burning of the car” and
Two civilians including a named woman were reported injured by a US airstrike near Kunya Barrow. Halgan Media noted: “A pro militant mouthpiece dubbed Somali Memo claimed a mother of 5 children was wounded in the drone strike, when reigned down on there home overnight. According to Somali Memo, the victim has been identified as
Two civilians were killed in a US strike near Buulo Fuulay, according to a pro Al Shabaab outlet. Somali Memo wrote: “More details about the bombings of US warplanes hit the Bay region in southern Somalia on Wednesday night. Drones bombed a scooter with two civilians Saturday night, the killed were forced out of Buhodle
A single source, Aden News, suggested that US airstrikes had targeted AQAP sites in the Shibam district of Hadramout governorate, on the evening of November 2nd 2018. Aden News reported the following: “Urgent: Explosion on the express line of the Shibam Hadramout Directorate and citizens talk about a drone strike. Local residents in the Shibam district
A possible US drone or airstrike reportedly targeted alleged AQAP militants in Jabal Al Hawl, overlooking Wadi Amaqin, in the Rawda district of Shabwa, on the morning of April 26th 2020. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Local sources told Marib Today that the strike had targeted AQAP leaders, while 7adramout and
One Al Shabaab member was allegedly killed by a US airstrike near Kurtun Warey. AFRICOM said in its press release: “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted an airstrike targeting one terrorist in the vicinity of Kurtun Warey, Somalia, Aug. 20. The terrorist, who has a history of working with
One child was reportedly killed and three other civilians, including women and children, were wounded in US airstrikes on the Al Qa’em area near the Syrian-Iraqi borders on June 28, 2021. Local sources also reported that between four and 11 militants, with at least four members of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization, were also killed. The
Up to 10 civilians, including a child, were killed and up to 20 others were injured in alleged Somali and/or US airstrikes or drone strikes on the village of Mubarak on September 9, 2022. Sources are conflicted as to whether one of the people, Abdullahi Sheikh Abukar known locally as ‘Arab” was a member of
A 60 year old male civilian was killed by a declared US drone strike on the outskirts of Qurqaniya just before noon on May 3, 2023. At the time of the strike, US Central Command released a statement that they had targeted a senior Al Qaeda leader without any additional details. On May 2, 2024,
Five al-Shabaab militants were reportedly killed by operations carried out by Somalia government forces and international partners in the vicinity of Basra, between Afgoye and Bal’ad towns on August 25, 2023. @HarunMaruf quoted state media who reported that government forces in collaboration with international partners carried out a second operation that resulted in the killing
Three drone strikes taking place on August 1st 2011, allegedly by US drones or Yemeni airplanes, killed up to 16 suspected Al Qaeda fighters and wounded up to 32 others in various areas of Zinjibar according to military officials. One report stated that the drones were acting in conjunction with the Yemeni government, but the
On 23rd April 2012, at 10:30 am, the Yemen army and/or US military allegedly conducted a strike in Loder, Abyan province killing between four to 17 suspected AQAP militants, with some sources attributing the militant deaths to artillery bombardment. There are currently no known reports of civilian harm. Bikyamasr reported that the strike was carried