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
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Country
Yemen
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Incident Code

USYEMTr223

Incident date

April 25, 2020

Location

بين الخدراء والنبيق, Al Khudra and Al Nabeeq, Shabwa, Yemen

Geolocation

14.87082, 45.75198 Note: The accuracy of this location is to District level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One or more US drone strikes reportedly killed at least six alleged AQAP militants between the towns of Al Khudra and Al Nabeeq, in the Beihan district of Shabwa governorate, on the afternoon of April 25th 2020. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm.

Yemeni tribal and security sources told Associated Press, on April 27th, that two US drone strikes in Beihan had killed at least six AQAP militants “in recent days”. Marib Today reported that three US strikes had been conducted in the area on that afternoon, and were preceded by the presence of US aircraft throughout the morning. However many sources mentioned only one strike.

A single social media post by @no_itsmyturn indicated that a drone strike by an unnamed belligerent had targeted Houthi positions in Beihan on the 25th, though it was not clear if this was the same event.

According to Associated Press, both the CIA and the US military declined to comment on the reported US strikes. US Central Command told Airwars that no US military strikes were conducted in Yemen during April 2020. It is, however, possible that an undeclared strike was conducted by the CIA, or as part of a clandestine US military action.

The incident occured in the afternoon.

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 targets
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    6

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Though Twitter user @no_itsmyturn gave this source as evidence for a claim that strikes had targeted Houthi positions in Beihan, the source did not specifically identify the target (@no_itsmyturn, April 25th 2020)

Geolocation notes (2) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the area between Al Khudra (الخدراء) and Al Nabeeq (النبيق), allegedly in the Beihan (بيحان‎) district of Shabwa (شبوة) governorate. Our research finds evidence of a clinic called Al Wahdah as Sihhiyah al Khadra (الوحدة الصحية الخدراء) and a hill called Jabal Khudra (جبل الخدراء), suggesting that Al Khudra is within the area, however, we find no mention of Al Nabeeq in the vicinity. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Jabal Khudra are: 14.87082, 45.75198.

  • Reports of the incident mention the area between Al Khudra (الخدراء) and Al Nabeeq (النبيق), allegedly in the Beihan (بيحان‎) district of Shabwa (شبوة) governorate.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

  • Our research finds evidence of a clinic called Al Wahdah as Sihhiyah al Khadra (الوحدة الصحية الخدراء) and a hill called Jabal Khudra (جبل الخدراء), suggesting that Al Khudra is within their area, however, we find no mention of Al Nabeeq in the vicinity.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

US Forces Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

US Forces
Official source

According to CENTCOM, there were no US military strikes during April 2020 in Yemen.

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 targets
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    6

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEMBi004-C

Incident date

November 13, 2021

Location

عقبة امقوة, Aqba Amkawa, Shabwa, Yemen

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian was killed and another civilian, a woman, was injured in alleged Saudi Coalition or US drone strikes on the Olaya Markha district of Shabwa governorate. Sources were conflicted about whether the other two to three people killed and two to three people wounded were civilians or members of Al Qaeda.

A Facebook post by Mohammed Al Yamani provided information that four civilians were killed and two others were injured in a Saudi Coalition airstrike on a car in the Olaya Markha district of Shabwa governorate.

A local source told “Al-Harf 28” that an unidentified aircraft struck a car in the “Amquh” area of Markah Olaya district and that the preliminary numbers indicate that three “citizens” were killed and two others were injured, all of whom belong to the “Al Mursas” tribe. News Yemen also put the number of people killed at three but reported that three other people were wounded.

A Facebook post from Ali Al Nasi identified the car as bringing to Ali bin Alawi Al Rasas and that the raid led to “the injury of the son of the owner of the car, Ahmed bin Ali”. They stated that the fate of the rest of the passengers in the car was unknown but later identified two people as being injured, adding that the targeted people are well known for their stance against ISIS.

A post from Saif Al Mahjari provided more information on the victims: in the first strike, two people were seriously injured – Ahmed Ali bin Alawi and bin Muthbi. While the wounded were being helped, there was another bombing, and this bombing killed three people – Hussein bin Ali bin Ahmed, Ibn Dahmash and Ibn Sawad, who were said to be brothers. A post from Abdualkarem Saleh Alrasas also provided similar names of people killed – Hussein bin Ali bin Hamad Al-Rasas, Ibrahim Dahmash Alawi Al-Rasas, Hussein Mohammed Al-Rasas.

Xinhua News reported that three people believed to be affiliated with Al Qaeda were killed in US drone strikes that targeted a car carrying six people, wounding the three other passengers. X99 News quoted a security official, who said that the strikes occurred after noon in front of a US military base and resulted in the death of two gunmen associated with Al Qaeda and a civilians. They also identified two separate strikes as occurring but didn’t specify which casualties occurred during which strikes.

A local government official clarified to AFP what occurred in the two separate strikes: “A drone that is believed to be American targeted a car carrying a man, who is likely an Al-Qaeda member, and his wife, resulting in the injury of both,” a government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP. “Three people, a civilian and two suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen, who were in a vehicle that was heading to the site to assist the wounded were targeted in another strike and killed.” A second government official in the border region between the central provinces of Shabwa and Al-Bayda confirmed the two strikes and death toll.

On January 20, 2022, the director of SITE Intelligence Group said that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has announced the death of a military commander/former Bin Laden associate Salih bin Salim bin Ubayd ’Abolan (AKA Abu ‘Umayr al-Hadhrami) in US airstrike in Yemen. However, the announcement did not mention when or where his death occurred but @Rita_Katz associated it with this incident that occurred on November 14th, 2021.

Sources were conflicted as to who was responsible for the strikes or were not able to identify who carried them out. The majority of sources attribute the strikes to the Saudi Coalition. However, the Yemeni Press identified the “US-Saudi aggression” as responsible and Xinhua News blamed US drones for the strikes.

In an email to Airwars on November 18th, the US military denied carrying out any attack, noting that “CENTCOM conducted its last counterterror strike in Yemen on June 24, 2019. CENTCOM has not conducted any new counterterror strikes in Yemen since.”

This does not however preclude actions by the CIA – which is known to have conducted at least three strikes in Yemen since that date.

The incident occured during the night.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Ahmed Ali bin Alawi
male Conflicted as to whether he was a civilian or Al Qaeda member injured
bin Muthbi
female Possibly the wife or other family member of Ahmed injured

Family members (3)

 Hussein bin Ali bin Hamad Al-Rasas
male Conflicted as to whether he was a civilian or Al Qaeda member killed
 Ibrahim Dahmash Alawi Al-Rasas
male Conflicted as to whether he was a civilian or Al Qaeda member killed
Hussein Mohammed Al-Rasas
male Conflicted as to whether he was a civilian or Al Qaeda member killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 4
  • (1–3 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–3
  • 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
    Saudi-led Coalition, US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1–4
  • Belligerents reported injured
    0–2

Sources (42) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Map of incidents in Yemen
  • Map of the possible location of the strikes in Yemen on November 13, 2021. (Image posted by Giopioneer)
  • BREAKING: AQAP announces death of military commander/former Bin Laden associate Salih bin Salim bin Ubayd ’Abolan (AKA Abu 'Umayr al-Hadhrami) in US airstrike in Yemen. Strange that group did not specify date/location. Reports show US airstrike killed 3 AQAP militants on Nov. 14. (Image posted by @Rita_Katz)

Saudi-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Saudi-led Coalition
  • Saudi-led Coalition position on incident
    Not yet assessed

US Forces Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 4
  • (1–3 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–3
  • 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
    Saudi-led Coalition, US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1–4
  • Belligerents reported injured
    0–2

Sources (42) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM061-B

Incident date

April 16, 2012

Location

الـخـرمـة, Kharama, Mayfa'a district, Shabwa, Yemen

Geolocation

14.360845, 47.414316 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

According to news reports and local sources, between three and seven militants were killed in a series of five alleged US drone strikes close to the village of Kharama, between the towns of Azzan and Huta in Shabwa province on the evening of the 16th of April, 2012. The strikes were conducted within the mountainous region of Salb Al-Ain against a number of different Al Qaeda positions.

Whilst the Yemen Defence Ministry initially claimed that the attacks were carried out by Yemeni warplanes, two security officials and another from the Yemen Defence Ministry later told CNN that the strikes were conducted by US drones. CNN reported that the five different strikes were made against “hideouts, checkpoints, training facilities, and weapons warehouses,” and Barakish specifically referred to an Al Qaeda point at the Azzan Al-Houta junction as being hit in the strikes..”

These facts were supported by other news outlets such as Mareb Press and Sana News. Xinhua and local sources additionally reported that a car carrying Al Qaeda militants was hit by missiles launched from a US drone as the car travelled from Kharama to the town of Azzan. Local sources told “Al-Masdar Online” that the strikes occured at an agricultural area located between the city of Azzan and Kour Ahl Hadaj called “Salb Al-Ain Farms” belonging to the Badian Al-Numan tribe.

Mareb Press and several local sources also stated that the militants killed were specifically members of the al-Qaeda linked ‘Ansar al-Sharia’ group. On the 17th of April, Xinhua reported a statement issued by an al-Qaeda spokesman who acknowledged that three of their fighters had been killed in a “US drone raid”. However, multiple sources, including @binlznmalawlaqy, put the death toll at seven militants killed.

Xinhua further stated that foreign militants were killed in the strikes, including one Syrian and an Algerian, according to a Yemeni intelligence officer. The fact that foreign fighters were killed in the attacks was also supported by several different local sources. The ‘Long War Journal’ similarly stated that the ‘Madad News Agency’, the propaganda arm of AQAP (Al Qaeda on the Arab Peninsula) announced on the 25th of April that an Egyptian jihadist known as Abu Musab al-Masri was killed “a week ago in an American bombing between the cities of Azzan and al-Hotah in Shabwa province”, an indication that al-Masri may have been killed in the drone strikes on the 16th of April.

No civilians were reported to have been killed or injured in the strikes.

Due to the nature of both CIA and US military involvement in Yemen, and the lack of official acknowledgement by the CIA for their involvement, Airwars grades this event as “declared” due to the comments made by US government sources to media, in lieu of public reporting on CIA actions.

The incident occured in the evening.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • 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
    3–7

Sources (27) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Abu Musab al Masri, an alleged Egyptian jihadist who fought alongside al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, reported to have been killed in a US drone strike in April near Azzan in Shabwa. (via Long War journal)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the area or village of Kharama (or Karma) (الـخـرمـة) between the towns of Azzan (عزان) and Huta (الحوطة). The coordinates for the village Kharama (الـخـرمـة) are: 14.360845, 47.414316. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • The village Kharama (or Karma) (الـخـرمـة) between the towns of Azzan (عزان) and Huta (الحوطة), with the road between the two towns marked in red

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

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
    Agriculture
  • 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
    3–7

Sources (27) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEMTr160

Incident date

April 11, 2018

Location

السوط, Al Sout, Hadramout, Yemen

Geolocation

15.499908, 47.905719 Note: The accuracy of this location is to District level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A US airstrike targeted an AQAP training camp in western Hadramout governorate on April 11th 2018, according to a later US Central Command statement.

There were multiple local reports at the time of airstrikes against AQAP in the mountainous Al Sout area of western Hadramout at dawn on that day, though most sources assigned responsibility to the Saudi-led Coalition. Only one source gave information on casualties; ESISC (@EsiscTeam) tweeted that a US drone strike killed “several” terrorists. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm.

Alleged images of the area appeared to indicate at least three distinct strike locations; a local source told Al-Arabi that four explosions were heard. According to local-language news outlets, including Al-Mashhad Al-Yemeni and Al-Arabi, as well as a number of social media sources, drones or warplanes targeted AQAP in the Al Sout area, which reportedly lies between Wadi Amad and Wadi Rakhiya.

Eyewitnesses told TVAden that they believed the planes to be American, and other sources, such as @barakish_net, assigned responsibility for the strikes to the US.  Others, such as Akhbar Al-Aan, however, suggested that warplanes of the Saudi-led Coalition conducted the strikes, or indicated that the belligerent was unknown. AQAP forces were reportedly active in the targeted area, according to multiple sources, having been forced out of nearby districts.

A US Central Command spokesperson later told the Long War Journal that two strikes were carried out on April 11th 2018 in Hadramout; it is possible that both of these strikes were part of this event, or that they constituted unique events. USYEMTr161 has therefore been created to account for the latter possibility.

The incident occured around dawn.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected attacker
    Saudi-led Coalition
  • Known target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • Strikes reportedly targeted AQAP forces in Al-Sout area, western Hadramout (Al-Mashhad Al-Yemeni, April 11th 2018)
  • Though the US reported two strikes on April 11th in Hadramout, alleged images appeared to show at least three strike locations (Al-Mashhad Al-Yemeni, April 11th 2018)
  • Local sources variously attributed the strike to the US, Saudi-led Coalition, or unknown forces; the US later stated that they had conducted the strike in western Hadramout (Al-Mashhad Al-Yemeni, April 11th 2018)
  • Eyewitnesses told TV Aden that US planes were responsible for the strike (TV Aden, April 11th 2018)
  • Akhbar Alaan reported that the raid was conducted by Saudi-led coalition aircraft, according to local sources (April 11th 2018)

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention strikes in Al Sout (السوط) an area allegedly at the division between Wadi Rakhya (وادي رخية) and Wadi Amd (وادي عمد), within the respective districts of Rakhya (رخية) and Amd (عمد), Hadramout (حضرموت) governorate.  Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for the northern area of contact between the borders are: 15.499908, 47.905719.

  • Reports of the incident mention strikes in Al Sout (السوط) an area allegedly at the division between Wadi Rakhya (وادي رخية) and Wadi Amd (وادي عمد), within the respective districts of Rakhya (رخية) and Amd (عمد), Hadramout (حضرموت) governorate.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

US Forces Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

US Forces
Official source

TAMPA, Fla. – In the past three months, U.S. forces have targeted and disrupted the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula terrorist network in Yemen through 17 counter-terrorism airstrikes in four separate governorates. These include six air strikes against AQAP terrorists in February, seven air strikes against AQAP terrorists in March and four airstrikes against AQAP terrorists in April.

The April airstrikes included an AQAP training camp in western Hadramawt governorate April 11 and an AQAP checkpoint for asserting regional control and raising illegal revenue in al Bayda governorate April 23.

Other air strikes took place in al Bayda, Hadramawt, Zamakh and Shabwah governorates.

U.S. Central Command is aware of reports of alleged civilian casualties following the March 29 air strike against AQAP in al Bayda governorate. A credibility assessment is being conducted.

Intelligence and defense communities have assessed AQAP as one of the terrorist groups most committed to and capable of conducting attacks in the United States. AQAP has taken advantage of ungoverned spaces in Yemen to plot, direct and inspire terror attacks against the United States, its citizens and its allies around the world.

In early 2018, senior AQAP figure Khalid Batarfi called on the group’s supporters to “rise and attack” Americans “everywhere.” Last month, Osama Bin Laden’s son Hamza, an influential al-Qaeda figure, called on aspiring terrorists to join and support AQAP’s terrorist efforts in Yemen.

The United States is committed to finding and striking AQAP’s terrorist network in Yemen.

“In coordination with the government of Yemen, U.S. forces are conducting a series of counter-terrorism operations against AQAP and ISIS-Yemen,” said Lt. Col. Earl Brown, a U.S. Central Command spokesman. “We will continue to disrupt and degrade the ability of AQAP to plan attacks, confronting threats before they reach our borders.”

Saudi-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Saudi-led Coalition
  • Saudi-led Coalition position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected attacker
    Saudi-led Coalition
  • Known target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM072-B

Incident date

May 2, 2012

Location

جعار, North of the town Ja'ar, Khanfir district, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.2612, 45.29879 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between 10 and 15 militants linked to Al Qaeda were killed in an alleged Yemeni airstrike or US drone strike just north of the town of Jaar on the 2nd of May, 2012.

Whilst Xinhua stated a local resident had claimed that 10 militants in total had been killed in the airstrike, CNN reported that ‘local security officials’ had stated that 13 suspected militants died in the attack. The Associated Press (AP), in addition to other local sources, claimed the number to be fifteen. Similarly, Itijah made reference to a report by the BBC in which “army officials” were quoted as saying that 15 militants had been killed.

Al-Masdar Online and Itijah both reported that the airstrike was conducted against locations where Al Qaeda militants had been preparing trenches. Al-Masdar Online further stated that these positions were specifically located in the Masnaa area, whilst also citing the BBC report which said that the airstrike had been conducted against a militant “training camp”.

Although the deployment of drones in this airstrike cannot be confirmed, a report by the Associated Press (AP), stated that the airstrike “resembled earlier US drone attacks, but the US did not comment.” Yemen Voice News also reported that “security officials” had said that “a US drone bombed a training site belonging to Al Qaeda in southern Yemen, killing 13 people believed to be militants.” Despite the indications of the involvement of US drones, Xinhua quoted a local resident in Jaar who claimed that the Yemen Air Force (YAF) had carried out the attack.

On the 2nd of May, the day of the airstrike, Xinhua further stated that fierce fighting had erupted in the area after Al Qaeda militants attacked a checkpoint manned by “pro-government tribesmen” referred to by Al-Masdar Online and Itijah as the ‘Popular Committees’. Al-Masdar Online also stated that this checkpoint was specifically located within the area of Shoht, to the north of Jaar.

A Yemeni presidential aide, quoted by CNN and Yemen Voice News, acknowledged that at least two US aircraft had been carrying out “attacks daily since mid-April in southern areas controlled by Al Qaeda fighters.” He went on to say that this was part of a strategy to remove al-Qaeda’s roots in the areas it controlled.

Whilst there were no reports of civilians killed or injured in the airstrike, Associated Press (AP) reported that the al-Qaeda “training camp” which had been hit was set up around an abandoned munitions factory. The factory later “exploded killing at least 100 people. The blast was ignited when impoverished townspeople entered the factory in the aftermath (of the airstrike) to try and haul away anything of value that remained.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    10–15

Sources (16) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention that a militant’s camp was targeted north of the town of Ja’ar (جعار), in the governorate of Abyan (أبين‎). The coordinates for the area north of the town of Ja’ar (جعار) are: 13.261200, 45.298790. 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

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, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    10–15

Sources (16) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEMTr027

Incident date

March 2–3, 2017

Location

عقبة زعج, Aqaba Za'aj, Bayda', Yemen

Geolocation

14.449335, 44.817596 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Multiple local language sources indicated that US airstrikes took place in Aqaba Za’aj, in Qayfa Radaa, Bayda province, during the night from March 2nd to March 3rd. There were no known reports of civilian harm.

Various sources reported that strikes took place in Aqaba Za’aj, seemingly in conjunction with strikes against the nearby locations of Novan, Jassima and Yakla, all of which are reportedly also within the Qayfa Radaa area. These sources suggested that US helicopters and drones bombarded militant sites until dawn on the Friday, though no information was available on the number of strikes or numbers of casualties, if any.  Some suggested that an attempted US troop landing had taken place, and that five US Marines were killed after the claimed downing of an American helicopter.

Reuters reported that, though the Pentagon confirmed that a number of airstrikes had taken place on March 2nd-3rd, spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis had denied that US ground forces had been involved, telling reporters “I know there have been reports of firefights, raids, there have not been any that US forces have been involved in [on Friday]”.

This reported event took place amid a dramatic intensification of US operations against AQAP. On March 3rd, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davies announced that more than thirty strikes had been conducted since March 2nd in Yemen.  On the same day, Associated Press reported that Yemeni officials and residents said that the US had conducted “dozens of airstrikes on al-Qaida targets in Yemen overnight and in the past 48 hours in one of the lengthiest, sustained operations inside this conflict-torn Arab country”.

A US military intelligence source told NBC News that the strikes beginning March 2nd were “part of ‘new directives’ to aggressively pursue the Dhahab and Qayfa clans”.

The incident occured during the night.

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
    5

Sources (16) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the village of Aqaba Za’aj (عقبة زعج), allegedly within the Qifah (قيفه) area, for which, due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Qifah are: 14.449335, 44.817596

  • Reports of the incident mention the village of Aqaba Za’aj (جسيمة), allegedly within the Qifah (قيفه) area.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

US Forces Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

US Forces
Official source

The U.S. military conducted precision strikes today in Yemen against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula to target the dangerous terrorist group that is intent on attacking the West, a Pentagon spokesman said.

With today's actions, the United States has carried out more than 30 strikes in Yemen since yesterday against the terrorist group, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters.

"These counterterrorism strikes were conducted in partnership with the government of Yemen," Davis said, adding, "U.S. forces will continue to target [al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula] militants and facilities in order to disrupt the terrorist organization's plots and ultimately to protect American lives."

The results of the strikes are still being assessed, Davis said.

Aimed At Degrading Terrorist Capabilities

The aim of the strikes is to keep the pressure on the terrorists and deny them access and freedom of movement within traditional safe havens, Davis said. "They've taken advantage of ungoverned spaces in Yemen to plot, direct and inspire terrorist attacks against the United States," he added. "We'll continue to work with the government of Yemen and our partners on the ground to defeat [the organization] and deny it the ability to operate."

The actions since have targeted militants, equipment and infrastructure in the governorates of Abyan, Al Bayda and Shabwah and will degrade the terrorist group's ability to coordinate external terror attacks and limit its ability to use territory seized from Yemen’s legitimate government as a safe space for terror plotting, the captain said.

U.S. forces have not been involved in or near any firefights in Yemen since late January, Davis said. In that January operation, Navy Chief Petty Officer William "Ryan" Owens was killed and three other U.S. service members were wounded.

Extremely Dangerous al-Qaida Affiliate

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula remains an extremely dangerous al-Qaida affiliate, and is taking advantage of the chaos in the country from the civil war there, Davis said, noting that the organization “has more American blood on its hands" than the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria does.

Davis said al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is a "deadly terrorist organization that has proven itself to be very effective in targeting and killing Americans, and they have intent and aspirations to continue doing so."

The organization is integral to al-Qaida and remains intent on attacking Western targets, specifically the United States, a defense official said, speaking on background.

Total group strength in Yemen is in the "low thousands," the official said, adding that it remains a local and regional threat and directly contributes to the instability inside Yemen.

"This is a dangerous group locally, regionally and transnationally, to include against the United States, the West and our allies," the official said.

The terrorists have "skillfully exploited the disorder in Yemen to build its strength and reinvigorate its membership and training," the official said, noting that because members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula tend to be from Yemen, they can blend in with the tribes there.

There have been notable successes against the group, the official said, including killing some of its key leaders.

Iraq Update

In other news, Davis updated reporters on progress in Iraq in liberating western Mosul from ISIS. Iraqi forces have cut across Highway 1, effectively isolating Mosul from the Syrian city of Raqqa, he said. Some areas in the north are still ISIS-controlled, he said, so Mosul is not completely severed from Raqqa.

"But in terms of having a road, that road is now cut," he said.

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
    5

Sources (16) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEMTr049

Incident date

March 29–30, 2017

Location

الحوطة, Al Hawta, Shabwa, Yemen

Geolocation

14.381351, 47.397712 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

According to Al-Jazeera, its sources reported that US drone strikes targeted alleged AQAP sites in Al Hawta, in Shabwa governorate, at some time from March 29th to March 30th. The news organisation reported that casualties from the strikes were unknown. No other known sources independently reported these strikes.

This reported event took place amid a dramatic intensification of US operations against AQAP beginning in early March 2017. On April 3rd, Pentagon spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis said that, from February 28th to the final week of March, 50 US airstrikes were conducted in Yemen.

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
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Al Hawta (الحوطة), for which the coordinates are: 14.381351, 47.397712. 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

Original strike reports

US Forces

The U.S. military conducted airstrikes over eastern Yemen during the weekend, targeting the sites of extremist group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, director of Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters today.

“We continue to target [al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula] in Yemen, and this is done in the interest of disrupting a terror organization that presents a very significant threat to the United States,” Davis said.

Strikes Target Terrorists

During the weekend in Yemen’s Shabwah governorate, the precision airstrikes targeted al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula terrorists, as well as the terrorists’ infrastructure, fighting positions and equipment, the spokesman said.

The airstrikes follow the late-January U.S. raid in Yemen during which a U.S. service member died. From Feb. 28 through last week, some 50 airstrikes were conducted, Davis noted.

The weekend airstrikes, which were largely unmanned, bring the total to 70, he said.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • 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)

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEMTr088

Incident date

July 1, 2017

Location

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

Geolocation

13.713333, 46.011944 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

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 the night of July 1st 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm.

Several sources including Adengad reported that a US drone strike against a motorcycle in the area killed AQAP leader Ibrahim Al-Adani, also named as Adel Al-Zamki Al-Hasani, and “his companions”. Others suggested that this strike was one of several in Wadea, also targeting an AQAP training camp in the area. Some suggested that strikes instead targeted near Bir Al-Shahata village.

It was unclear whether reported strikes against a vehicle and an AQAP camp were geographically distinct events. Several sources suggested that the camp was situated in the Wadi al-Malh area, which two sources also suggested was the area in which the motorcycle was targeted. One local language Twitter source, local journalist Mareb Alward, suggested that two AQAP militants, including Al-Adani, were killed in a strike against a camp.

According to BBC monitoring of local media however, Al-Masdar reported that the strikes against the camp and the motorcycle occurred in separate areas of Wadea district.

In an email to the Bureau, US Central Command stated that “a precision strike” was conducted against an AQAP target, possibly indicating just one action.

Sources differed on the total number of militant deaths. According to some local language sources, including Aden al-Ghad, local residents reported that two men were killed while riding a motorcycle. AFP and Reuters also reported that, according to a security official, two alleged AQAP militants were killed on a motorbike, one of whom was Ibrahim Al-Adani.

Xinhua, however, reported that three, including Al-Adani, were killed in a remote US strike against a vehicle.  Images published online appeared to show Al-Adani’s body.

One local language Twitter source instead suggested there were “no victims” in strikes against Wadea district and Al-Shatah village, though it was unclear if this included the reported strike against a motorcycle or referred only to strikes on the camp. As such, Airwars has assessed that between two and three alleged militants were reported killed in this event.

The incident occured during the night.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2–3

Sources (27) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Alleged AQAP leader Ibrahim Al-Adani, also named as Adel Al-Zamki Al-Hasani, was reportedly killed in the US strike on July 1st 2017, along with at least one other alleged militant (@Dr_E_Kendall, July 2nd 2017)
  • Alleged AQAP leader Ibrahim Al-Adani, also named as Adel Al-Zamki Al-Hasani, was reportedly killed in the US strike on July 1st 2017, along with at least one other alleged militant (@demolinari, July 3rd 2017)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Alleged AQAP leader Ibrahim Al-Adani, also named as Adel Al-Zamki Al-Hasani, was reportedly killed in the US strike on July 1st 2017, along with at least one other alleged militant (@demolinari, July 3rd 2017)

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention a vehicle being struck in one of two possible locations called Wadi Al Malh (وادي الملح) and Bir Al Shahata (بيرالشطحة) within the Al Wade’a (الوضيع) district. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Al Wade’a district are: 13.713333, 46.011944.

  • Reports of the incident mention a vehicle being struck in one of two possible locations called Wadi Al Malh (وادي الملح) and Bir Al Shahata (بيرالشطحة) within the Al Wade’a (الوضيع) district.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

US Forces Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

US Forces
Official source

U.S. forces conducted a precision strike against an al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula target July 1 in Abyan Governorate, Yemen.

In coordination with the government of Yemen, U.S. forces are conducting a series of sustained counterterrorism operations in Yemen against AQAP to degrade the group's ability to hold territory and coordinate external terror attacks.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2–3

Sources (27) [ collapse]