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Airwars Assessment
(Previous Incident Code: YEM301)
At least two alleged AQAP militants, including a leadership figure, were reportedly killed by a US drone strike in Al Zahir Al Humayqan, Bayda governorate, at around midnight, overnight from February 16th-17th 2018.
A US Central Command spokesperson later told the the Long War Journal that a strike had taken place in Bayda governorate on February 16th. Since there were no other known reports of US strikes in the period, this event is treated as declared. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm.
A security official told AFP that two suspected AQAP members were targeted as they travelled on a motorcycle in the area. The official named those killed as “local commander Abu Hussein al-Theriya [and] Dawoud al-Sanaani”.
According to Xinhua however, a military official suggested that three militants had died in the strike, which targeted a small pick-up truck. Residents near the scene told Xinhua that “the commander’s body along with two of his companions [were] left incinerated inside the car”.
Key Information
Geolocation Notes
Reports on the incident mention the village of Al Humayqan ( ال حميقان) for which the generic coordinates are: 14.070845, 45.499519. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Military Statements
Media From Sources (2)
🔴 مصرع القيادي بتنظيم القاعدةأبوحسين الثرياء وداود الصنعاني بغارة لطائرة أمريكية بدون طيار استهدفت مديرية #الزاهر_آل_حميقان محافظة #البيضاء
— شبكة هدهد الأنباء (@huodhoud) February 18, 2018