Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

USYEM093-B

Incident date

May 27, 2012

Location

الحرور, Harur, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.240491, 45.192200 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In a third strike on May 27th 2012 in the Abyan province, a pick-up truck was reportedly destroyed in Harur near Jaar. Six alleged Al Qaeda militants were killed whilst travelling in the car, and there were no survivors, as reported by Xinhua. Yemeni airplanes were named as the suspected culprit. However, reporting during the time indicates that only the US had the capability to carry out precision strikes on moving vehicles.

According to reports from Xinhua, military warplanes continued to hover over Jaar after the strikes, and civillian’s proximity to the bomings intensified fear that the strikes “may kill civilians like what happened earlier this month.”

The strikes took place as Yemen-based Al Qaeda militants, known as Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), were reportedly seeking to broaden their influence in Southern Yemen where central authority was lacking.

While there is no direct mention of US involvement by local sources, the incident fits a pattern of previous US actions through airstrikes and drone strikes and it is known that US forces were active in Yemen at the time of the incident. The Yemen Air Force reportedly lacked the ability to launch precision strikes on moving vehicles, which casts doubt on whether the airstrikes were carried out by Yemen rather than US forces.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention that the airstrike targeted a pick up truck in the area of Harur (الحرور), near the town of Ja’ar (جعار). Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the precise location of the strike. The coordinates for the road that passes through the village of Harur (الحرور) are: 13.240491, 45.192200.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • 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
    6

Sources (1) [ 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
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • 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
    6

Sources (1) [ collapse]