Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

USYEM064-B

Incident date

April 21, 2012

Location

جبل يسوف, Jabal (Mount) Yasuf, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.894167, 45.889444 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between eight to 17 Al Qaeda militants were killed and five others were injured in an alleged Yemeni or US air strike in the southeastern province of Abyan on the outskirts of the town of Lawdar, on the 21st of April 2012 in the evening. There have been no reports of civilian harm.

Yemen’s Defense Ministry claimed that 17 alleged Al-Qaeda militants were killed in a house hosting a gathering near Lawder.

However, an official told Xinhua that the attack was undertaken by two fighter jets who killed 12 and injured five alleged militants.

The Yemen Defense Ministry announced that 17 suspected militants were killed in a hideout and witnesses added that three were killed when a vehicle caught fire on a road in Samda located between Jouf and Marib due to a missile strike. They added that others were injured in the vehicle. KUNA counted the destruction of three vehicles.

The Yemen Post reports that the attack killed 11 and destroyed military vehicles. The lowest casualty estimate was provided by @MayaSlman, who tweeted that eight Al Qaeda members were killed.

While multiple sources refer to Yemen officials announcing that their air force carried out the strikes, it is unclear whether the airstrikes were carried out by Yemen or by US drones as AFP notes. As Wikileaks from this time period reveal, in some cases the Yemeni government was instructed to take credit for airstrikes carried out by the US.

The incident occured in the evening.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention that militant hideouts were targeted in the Jabal (Mount) Yasuf (جبل يسوف) area and Al Maniasa area near the town of Lawdar (لودر) in the Abyan governorate. Airwars was not able to locate the Al Maniasa area, however, the coordinates for Jabal Yasuf (جبل يسوف) are: 13.894167, 45.889444.

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 belligerents
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    8–17
  • Belligerents reported injured
    5

Sources (12) [ collapse]

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 belligerents
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    8–17
  • Belligerents reported injured
    5

Sources (12) [ collapse]