Incident Code

USYEM153-C

Location

المحفد، أبين‎, Al-Mahfad District, Abyan Governorate, Yemen

Geolocation

13.989198, 46.680717
Accuracy: District

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: May 22, 2025

(Previous Incident Codes: YEM127CiUSYEM143)

On May 18th, 2013 a drone reportedly launched three airstrikes in Abyan province overnight. The second of the three strikes hit the Al-Hada area in Al-Mahfad district and six people were reported injured without specifying if those injured were militants or civilians.

A CNN report, also published by Mareb Press, was the only source found to document the series of strikes and reported that a second raid on the “Al-Hada” area resulted in six wounded, without adding any details. While the source did not attribute the drone strikes to a belligerent, the US was the only country operating drones in Yemen during the time and the third drone strike of the evening was attributed to the US. Therefore, this incident has been classified as a “single source claim” and “weak”.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Strike Status
Single source claim
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Weak
Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Civilians reported injured
0–6

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the Al-Mahfad District (المحفد) in the Abyan Governorate (أبين‎), for which the generic coordinates are: 13.989198, 46.680717. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

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Military Statements

U.S. Forces Assessment
Suspected belligerent
U.S. Forces
U.S. Forces position on incident
Not yet assessed