Geolocation
Airwars assessment
A reported US airstrike in Rawdah, Shabwa governorate, on the evening of March 29th 2017 killed at least one alleged AQAP militant. There are no known associated reports of civilian harm.
According to a majority of sources, the strike took place in the centre of Rawdah, near the village of Majazah, targeting a motorbike. Al Araby reported that three missiles hit a motorbike “in a side street” of Rawdah.
Other sources suggested that a car carrying AQAP militants was instead targeted, killing as many as “dozens of people” according to one source, Ababil. However, apparent photographic evidence from the scene only showed a destroyed motorbike. As such, the maximum number of belligerent casualties from this strike has been set at one.
This reported event took place amid a dramatic intensification of US operations against AQAP beginning in early March 2017. On April 3rd, Pentagon spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis said that, from February 28th to the final week of March, 50 US airstrikes were conducted in Yemen.
The incident occured in the evening.
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention a road linking the villages of Al Rawda (الروضة) and Al Majaza (المجازة), for which, due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Al Rawda are: 14.467655, 47.275492
Summary
Sources (28) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (7) [ collapse]
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At least one alleged AQAP militant was killed in a reported US drone strike in Rawdah, Shabwa, on the evening of March 29th. Most sources indicated that the target of the strike was riding a motorbike (allegedly pictured) at the time of the strike (Aden al-Ghad, March 29th 2017)
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This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
At least one alleged AQAP militant was killed in a reported US drone strike in Rawdah, Shabwa, on the evening of March 29th. Most sources indicated that the target of the strike was riding a motorbike at the time of the strike (Aden al-Ghad, March 29th 2017) -
At least one alleged AQAP militant was killed in a reported US drone strike in Rawdah, Shabwa, on the evening of March 29th (alsultan, March 29th 2017)
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This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
At least one alleged AQAP militant was killed in a reported US drone strike in Rawdah, Shabwa, on the evening of March 29th (Qhmamshbwt, March 29th 2017) -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
At least one alleged AQAP militant was killed in a reported US drone strike in Rawdah, Shabwa, on the evening of March 29th (alsultan, March 29th 2017) -
At least one alleged AQAP militant was killed in a reported US drone strike in Rawdah, Shabwa, on the evening of March 29th. Most sources indicated that the target of the strike was riding a motorbike (allegedly pictured) at the time of the strike (Aden al-Ghad, March 29th 2017)
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At least one alleged AQAP militant was killed in a reported US drone strike in Rawdah, Shabwa, on the evening of March 29th. Most sources indicated that the target of the strike was riding a motorbike (allegedly pictured) at the time of the strike (Aden al-Ghad, March 29th 2017)
US Forces Assessment:
Original strike reports
The U.S. military conducted airstrikes over eastern Yemen during the weekend, targeting the sites of extremist group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, director of Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters today.
“We continue to target [al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula] in Yemen, and this is done in the interest of disrupting a terror organization that presents a very significant threat to the United States,” Davis said.
Strikes Target Terrorists
During the weekend in Yemen’s Shabwah governorate, the precision airstrikes targeted al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula terrorists, as well as the terrorists’ infrastructure, fighting positions and equipment, the spokesman said.
The airstrikes follow the late-January U.S. raid in Yemen during which a U.S. service member died. From Feb. 28 through last week, some 50 airstrikes were conducted, Davis noted.
The weekend airstrikes, which were largely unmanned, bring the total to 70, he said.