(Previous Incident Code: YEMT066)

US drone strikes reportedly targeted a large gathering of alleged AQAP militants near Al Shubayka, north of Ataq in Shabwa governorate, at around midnight from April 1st to April 2nd 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm.

Several sources reported that the strikes targeted a meeting of AQAP leaders in Al-Shubayka village, on the outskirts of Ataq, with illumination shells fired in the area to track the militants. For example Salmashad reported that “air strikes targeed al-Qaeda members in the village of Al-Shabik, north of Ataq, Shabwa governorate, after intelligence was obtained suggesting a meeting of the leaders of the organization.” The same source claimed that the attack continued against alleged AQAP militants fleeing the village by car, though no known sources mentioned the number of militant casualties, if any.

Some sources, for example Yafa News, described the strikes as preventing an attack by militant vehicles on nearby Ataq airport, though the reasoning for these reports was unclear.

This reported event took place amid a dramatic intensification of US operations against AQAP, beginning in early March 2017. On April 3rd 2017, Pentagon spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis said that, since February 28th 2017, 70 US airstrikes were conducted in Yemen.