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

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Yemen
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Incident Code

USYEMTr187

Incident date

January 21, 2019

Location

الجرشة, Al Jarsha, Ma'rib, Yemen

Geolocation

15.12994, 45.26125 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A US drone raid, involving two airstrikes, reportedly killed two alleged AQAP militants in Al Jarsha, in the Juba district of Marib governorate, late on January 21st 2019, according to some local sources. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm.

One source, Shafah, named one of those killed as Ali Nasser Al-Faqir, “the son of person from the Juba directorate”, and another as a member of the Awlaki family, from Shabwa, according to a second local source. It was suggested that the strike had targeted a car in the area.

In a later press release, US Central Command stated that two strikes had been conducted in Yemen during January 2019. One targeted Jamal Al-Badawi on January 1st, while a second strike took place on January 21st, though in Bayda governorate. It is therefore possible that this was either a CIA or Saudi-led Coalition action.

The incident occured in the evening.

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
    2

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention a vehicle being struck in the village of Al Jarsha (الجرشة), within the Al Juba (الجوبه) district. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Al Jarsha are: 15.12994, 45.26125.

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 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
    2

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEMTr227

Incident date

May 16–17, 2020

Location

زنجبار‎, Arqoub, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.468889, 45.763889 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A US drone strike reportedly killed an alleged AQAP leadership figure in the Arqoub area of Abyan governorate, on May 16th 2020. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm.

Local sources told Yemen Press Agency that a May 16th strike had targeted AQAP leader Saad Al-Atiqi Al-Awlaki: “An American drone strike on Saturday [May 16th] targeted a senior al-Qaeda leader who was fighting with Saudi-led coalition forces in Abyan province, southern Yemen. Local sources in the province told Yemen Press Agency that US aircraft targeted the al-Qaeda leading member Saad al-Atiqi al-Awlaqi in the Aqaba area, between Laudar district in Abyan and Mokiras district in Bayda province, while [he was] participating in the fighting alongside coalition forces against the Yemeni army and popular committees in Mokiras front.”

Others, such as Aden Press, further suggested that Al-Awlaki had been killed in the strike. AQAP fighters have previously been reported to have fought alongside and integrated into pro-government militant groups.

Some, including News Yemen and Sama Press, instead indicated that the strike took place on May 17th. Witnesses told News Yemen that an “unidentified reconnaissance plane” had flown over the Arqoub mountains earlier on the 17th.

US Central Command told Airwars that no US military strikes were conducted in Yemen during May 2020. It is, however, possible that an undeclared strike was conducted by the CIA, or as part of a clandestine US military operation.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

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
    1

Sources (23) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • The strike reportedly targeted alleged AQAP leader Saad Al-Atiqi Al-Awlaki (Yemen Press Agency, May 17th 2020)
  • Some sources alleged that Al-Awlaki was fighting alongside pro-government forces in the area (@RIYADH_MUTAHHIR, May 17th 2020)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the vicinity of the Arqoub (زنجبار‎) area, for which the generic coordinates are:13.468889, 45.763889. 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
Official source

According to an email from CENTCOM to Airwars, there were no US military strikes during May 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 target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1

Sources (23) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEMBi008

Incident date

January 30, 2023

Location

محطة الحايرة, Al Hayra petrol station, Mareb, Yemen

Geolocation

15.501673, 45.380729 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (other) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On January 30th 2023, an alleged United States drone strike was reported to have hit a car in Wadi Ubaidah in the Marib Governorate of Yemen. Three people were allegedly killed who were in the car at the time, who Al Mahara and other local sources reported were “members of Al-Qaeda”, including a prominent leader in Wadi Ubaidah. @BnMhwr tweeted that one militant inside the car was Hassan al-Hadhrami, “responsible for making IEDs and explosives in al-Qaeda.” No civilian casualties were mentioned by local sources at this time.

Al Khabar Al Yamani news channel reported that the attack happened when the car was waiting in line to get petrol, at the Al-Hayra petrol station. This source and other local sources also identified the missile as a R9X Hellfire. Task and Purpose pointed out that based on images showing that the target vehicle was shredded from the roof in rather than destroyed in an explosion, it is likely the AGM-114 R9X Hellfire missile was used.

A Yemeni government official told AFP on a condition of anonymity, that “three Al-Qaeda members were killed in a strike by a drone that is believed to be American.”

AP described the after-math of the strike as “onlookers gathered around a small, four-door car coated in dried mud, peering through its shattered windows and torn-away roof at three dead men inside.”

Despite most reports attributing this to the US, there was no immediate statement from US officials. Local sources speculated that this could mean that this attack was carried out by the Special Operations Unit (JSOC) or the CIA, according to Al Khabar Al Yamani. US Central Command told Stars & Stripes that there was “no operational reporting at the time of this incident in Yemen”.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

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
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3

Sources (16) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (7) [ collapse]

  • On January 30th 2022 a reported US forces drone targeted a petrol station in Wadi Ubaidah, killing three Al Qaeda members (Image via @South24_net / Twitter)
  • Reportedly the strike was with a R9X Hellfire Missile (Image via @akhbar / Twitter)
  • Reportedly the strike was with a R9X Hellfire Missile (Image via @akhbar / Twitter)
  • "The sources said that Hassan al-Hadhrami, responsible for making IEDs and explosives in al-Qaeda, was killed in an air strike carried out by a US drone on his car near al-Hayrah station in the al-Samdah area of Wadi Ubaidah district" (Image via @BnMhwr / Twitter)
  • "According to local sources - quoted by the broadcaster Al Arabyia - the target was Hassan al Hadrami, an extremist specialized in making explosive belts and bombs. At his side were two accomplices." (Image via @e_yementoday / Twitter)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention a vehicle being struck in the vicinity of Al Hayra petrol station (محطة الحايرة), located in Wadi Ubaidah (وادي عبيدة) . According to research conducted by @VleckieHond, the exact coordinates for this strike are: 15.501673, 45.380729. Cross referencing source material, we can confirm the accuracy of this location.

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 harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3

Sources (16) [ collapse]