(Previous Incident Code: YEM153 )

On the 2nd or 3rd of March 2014, an alleged US drone strike, killed Walid al Jemyzeh and narrowly missed Sheikh Mamoun Abdel Hamid Hatem in the Al Mahfad district in the Abyan governorate. According to Yemeress, Hatem was a leader of Al-Qaeda in Yemen. On the other hand, little is known about Walid al Jemyzeh. Even though the US does not comment on alleged US drone strikes in Yemen, an unnamed US intelligence official reported to the Long War Journal that Hatem was “a person of interest”.

There is some confusion as to exactly when the strike took place. Many sources, such as Yemen Press, believe the strike took place on Sunday evening or the early hours of Monday. One Facebook source, however, claims the strike took place on Wednesday that week.

According to Abdul  Razzaq Al-Jamal, who is a journalist with close ties to Al-Qaeda, Hatem escaped with an unidentified family member before the drone hit. Furthermore, it is reported that he was using his phone at the time of the strike. According to Sahafah Net, the strike hit his car.

The second air strike in as many days killed at least one person, Walid al Jemayzeh. The attack reportedly narrowly missed killing Abdul Hameed Memon Hatem, a self-identified member of AQAP – reportedly a senior figure. Yemeni journalist Abdul Razaq al Jamal first reported the strike, adding that it happened at night. Yemen’s spokesman in Washington tweeted about an air strike in the province:

#Official: Saturday airstrikes @ Abyan destroyed three vehicles linked to #AQAP militants | #Yemen |

— Mohammed Albasha (@Yemen411) March 3, 2014

An unnamed US intelligence official told the Long War Journal Hatem was ‘a person of interest’.