Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

USYEMTr099

Incident date

September 9, 2017

Location

البيضاء, Al Bayda, Yemen

Geolocation

14.313489, 45.305892 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Province/governorate level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In an email to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a US Central Command spokesperson stated that three strikes had been conducted against AQAP in Al Bayda governorate on September 9th 2017.

Multiple sources reported that one strike took place in the village of Qareidah (USYEMTr100) on that day, while two munitions reportedly targeted a single location in the Al-Saru area (USYEMTr098-C), potentially accounting for the three declared US actions.

However, USYEMTr098-C appeared to constitute a “double tap” strike, wherein persons responding to an initial strike were targeted by a secondary munition release, which the US military often understands to be a single strike event.

It is therefore possible that a further declared action took place in Bayda on September 9th. This event has been created to account for this possibility. No known sources reported an additional strike on that day.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the Al Bayda (البيضاء) governorate, for which the generic coordinates are: 14.313489, 45.305892. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Reports of the incident mention the Al Bayda (البيضاء) governorate.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

US Forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US Forces

U.S. forces conducted three strikes against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Al Bayda Governorate, Yemen, killing several Al Qaeda terrorists on Sep. 9.

In coordination with the government of Yemen, U.S. forces are conducting a series of sustained counterterrorism operations in Yemen against AQAP to degrade the group's ability to hold territory and coordinate external terror attacks.

Additionally, this year, the U.S. has conducted more than 100 strikes against AQAP militants, infrastructure, fighting positions and equipment.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)