Airwars assessment
US airstrikes reportedly targeted alleged AQAP camps in the Mogan area of Al Maraqisha, Abyan governorate, overnight from April 2nd to April 3rd 2017. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm, or of belligerent casualties.
According to Aden al-Ghad, a warplane launched several missiles at various locations in the area. Some sources such as Yemenat instead claimed that the strikes had been carried out by a drone.
This reported event took place amid a dramatic intensification of US operations against AQAP, beginning in March 2017. On April 3rd, Pentagon spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis said that, since February 28th 2017, 70 US airstrikes were conducted in Yemen.
The incident occured during the night.
Summary
Sources (11) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the village of Mojan (موجان), for which the coordinates are: 13.425116, 46.171369. 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.