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 confirmed US airstrike took place in Bayda governorate on March 25th 2019, one of two on that day, a US Central Command spokesperson later told New America. According to a later CENTCOM press release, all US strikes in March 2019 targeted AQAP in Bayda governorate. Multiple sources reported at the time that a drone,
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
A single source, @AdenHurra, reported that “a number of civilians were killed and wounded after warplanes bombed the city of Jaar”, adding that the bombing occurred in the “outskirts of the city”. It is unknown whether Yemeni forces, US forces, or another belligerent, were to be blamed for this incident. There is no other information available
US airstrikes killed up to 33 militants, with no civilian harm reported in Abyan province between August 31 2011 to September 1 2011. Multiple sources claimed the militants killed in the alleged airstrike were Al Qaeda militants. Some sources reported the alleged strike was carried out by Yemeni air force warplanes, however others claim it
Four Al Qaeda militants were killed by alleged Yemeni or US airstrikes in the southeast of the town of Loder located in the south of Yemen on the 30th of April 2012. No civilian harm was reported. Reuters reported that the airstrike hit a vehicle which killed four militants inside. Witnesses reported a series of
On August 7th 2012, up to four Al Qaeda militants were killed and two others injured in a suspected US airstrike in Al Qotn, Hadhramaut province. There are currently no known reports of civilian harm. A security official said that “a small pick-up truck was completely destroyed at the scene”, Xinhua reported. A picture posted
On December 20th 2017, US Central Command stated that a strike had killed Obeidah Al-Lawdari, AQAP’s so-called Emir of Lawda”, and four “associates” in Bayda governorate on October 19th 2017. This announcement confirmed several earlier reports that a US drone strike had killed at least three alleged AQAP militants travelling in a car on or
Two Yemeni National Army soldiers, including a Colonel, were reportedly killed by a US drone strike in Al Ashar, Yakla area of Bayda governorate, on the evening of September 18th 2018, according to multiple sources. Some however instead variously indicated that the strike killed two AQAP members, or two civilians. In a later press release,
A US airstrike targeted AQAP in Bayda governorate on January 20th 2018, a US Central Command spokesperson later told the Long War Journal. A review by our Arabic-language researchers found no other local sources reporting a strike on that day, and there were no known reports of civilian harm.
Some local language sources reported that the area of Dhi Kalb, in the al-Qaifa region of Bayda province, was targeted by multiple US air strikes overnight from March 2nd to March 3rd 2017. here were no reports of civilian harm. Social media sources suggested that US drones and combat aircraft conducted several strikes against “homes”
Several sources reported that a US drone strike in Al Wade’a district, Abyan governorate, targeted the home of alleged AQAP leader Abu Ubaidah al-Damaji at around dawn on March 31st 2017. There were no known reports of civilian harm. Sources indicated that it was unclear whether al-Damaji or any others died in the strike on
Some local language sources, including @MasirahTV, suggested that a US drone strike took place in the Sirwah district of Marib governorate on the morning of November 4th. All sources posted on November 4th 2017 itself. There were no known associated reports of civilian or militant harm, and no further information was given. Given that all
A few local language social-media sources suggested that US strikes, reportedly including a naval bombardment and at least one air strike, had targeted “terrorist groups”, possibly AQAP, in Arqoub in Abyan governorate, on August 31st 2019, killing “dozens”. Some suggested that the “terrorists” were amongst or affiliated with pro-government forces. There were no known associated
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 single source, Press TV, reported that a US drone killed five “people” traveling in a vehicle in Aden on August 4, 2012. However, the same source referred to the strike as occurring in “eastern Yemen” while Aden is located in western Yemen. Another strike did occur in eastern Yemen on the same date (USYEM116-B),
Between three and 15 Al Qaeda members were killed and up to 15 others were injured in confirmed US airstrikes conducted by a mix of drones and manned aircrafts under the US Department of Defence’s control on Awadh Abd Al Nabi school in the village Al Khadira on January 31, 2012. There were no known
On the afternoon of May 16th 2012 in Jabal (Mount) Yasuf in the Abyan province, Yemen, 16 militants, allegedly members of Al Qaeda, were killed and between five and 14 others were injured in two airstrikes allegedly orchestrated by the Yemeni air force and carried out by Yemeni fighter jets with possible assistance from the
On the 28th October 2012 at 10am in the Wadi al Abu Jabara area in Saada Governorate, northern Yemen, a suspected US drone conducted three airstrikes against two houses in the area, injuring two civilians, a woman and her son, and killing between three and four alleged Al Qaeda militants and injuring one, according to
At least two women, and possibly two children, all from the same family, were reportedly killed by a US drone strike on a house in Yakla, in the Wald Rabi area of Bayda governorate, on the evening of December 15th 2017. Mwatana later named the two women victims as “Hajera Ahmed Saleh Al Taisi, about
The Yemen Times reported a US drone strike hit Azzan in Shabwa province, described as AQAP’s “last stronghold” in the province, on June 14, 2012. The reporter Ali Saeed subsequently told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism via email that the strike came on Thursday evening. Casualty figures were unknown he added, because “the army has
Multiple sources alleged that four al-Qaeda militants were killed in a US drone strike in al-Saeed, Shabwa province. Al Arabi for example reported that a car was targeted in Shabwa at dawn on March 2nd 2017, as it was travelling “towards the road linking the towns of Ahur and Shakra”. There were no known reports
Multiple sources reported that a US drone strike killed two alleged AQAP militants travelling on a motorbike in the outskirts of Ahwar, Abyan governorate, on the evening of March 4th 2017. While there were no known initial reports of civilian harm, the Yemeni human rights group Mwatana later said that two civilian honey traders were
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 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 killed AQAP leaders Qasim Al-Raymi and Abu Al-Baraa Al-Ibbi as they travelled in a car through Yakla, Bayda governorate, on January 29th 2020. This was one of three alleged January strikes in which Qasim al-Raymi was reportedly killed – with his death in one of those actions later confirmed by
Local sources in Marib reported casualties among civilians as a result of a reported attack either by a US-drone on a car entering a popular market in Marib – or by a Houthi balluistic missile strike on the market – on March 16th, 2021. While @aalnaasi said the attack happened on Dahbeel station in Al-Naseem,
At least two fishermen, including a 16-year old child, were killed and two others were injured by alleged US airstrikes or Houthi drone strikes off the coast of Al Mukha on February 29, 2024. A tweet from @aalnaasi reported that US aircraft carried out two raids on a Yemeni fishing boat that was sailing near
On the evening of Wednesday April 11th 2012, an airstrike allegedly by Yemeni forces or US drone strikes which hit a car with suspected Al Qaeda militants killed between two and fourteen militants and injuring between seven and 10 others, near the town of Lawder in the Abyan governorate, an area on a key highway
On January 25th 2017, a US spokesperson stated that a strike in al-Bayda governorate on January 21st had killed three “AQAP operatives”. This confirmed reports that a drone strike had targeted a vehicle in Suma’a district on that evening. There were no known reports of civilian casualties. A number of public sources had earlier reported
At least five alleged AQAP militants were reportedly killed by a US drone strike that targeted a house in the Rawdah area, south of Marib city, early on March 22nd 2018. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm. Yemeni tribal leaders told Associated Press that seven had been killed in the strike. Several