Airwars assessment
Alleged AQAP sites in Al Quoz village, in the Mudiyah district of Abyan governorate, were targeted by reported US naval and air strikes overnight from March 29th to March 30th 2017. There were no known reports of civilian harm.
Several sources indicated that US warships fired missiles at parts of the village during the night, landing on AQAP sites and unpopulated areas, according to local residents. Some sources also suggested that a US drone strike against an AQAP position took place in the same area, also overnight from March 29th to March 30th. No reports mentioned civilian or combatant casualties.
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 during the night.
Summary
Sources (11) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Qouz (القوز), for which the coordinates are: 13.88921, 46.14929. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
United States Armed 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.