Incident Code
USYEMTr179Previous code
YEM319Incident date
September 9, 2018Location
وادي المرون, Wadi Al Maroun, Abyan, YemenGeolocation
Airwars assessment
Four alleged AQAP militants, including a leadership figure, were reportedly killed by a US drone strike against a car in Wadi Al Maroun, in the Khabr, Al Maraqisha area of Abyan governorate, on the morning of September 9th 2018.
A US strike against AQAP in Abyan on that date was confirmed in a later US Central Command press release. Given that there were no other known reported US strikes on that day, this event is treated as declared. There were no known associated reports of civilian harm.
Multiple local-language news outlets, including Al-Aan, Mareb Press, and Al-Yemeny, indicated that AQAP leader Ali Shanna, also named as Sameh Al-Marmi and Sameh Al-Zanjibari, was killed in the strike. Ali Shanna was reported by these sources and others to have been a close associate of Jalal Baleedi, a top AQAP commander in Yemen before he was killed by a US drone strike in 2016.
Sources including Associated Press, The National, and academic Dr Elisabeth Kendall (@Dr_E_Kendall), further indicated that three other unidentified militants were killed in the strike alongside Ali Shanna.
The incident occured in the morning.
Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention a vehicle being struck in Wadi Al Maroun (وادي المرون), allegedly in the vicinity of Al Khabr (الخبر) town, south of the Jabal Al Maraqisha (جبل المراقشة). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Al Khabr are: 13.438644632, 46.171223584.
Summary
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Strike statusDeclared strike
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Strike typeAirstrike, Drone Strike
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Civilian harm reportedNo
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Civilians reported killedUnknown
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Cause of injury / deathHeavy weapons and explosive munitions
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Airwars civilian harm gradingDiscountedThose killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
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Known belligerentUS Forces
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Known targetAl Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
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Belligerents reported killed4
Sources (58) [ collapse]
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Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]
US Forces Assessment:
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Known belligerentUS Forces
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US Forces position on incidentNot yet assessed
Original strike reports
TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Central Command conducted two counterterrorism air strikes targeting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen in September, bringing the total number of air strikes to 36. In October, there were zero air strikes.
September strikes include Sept. 9 in Abyan and Sept. 18 in Al-Bayda governorates.
"Despite a decline in counterterrorism air strikes against AQAP, they continue to pose a significant threat," said Lt. Col. Earl Brown, a USCENTCOM spokesman. "We remain vigilant and will continue to work by, with and through our regional partners to disrupt, deter and destroy AQAP."
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Summary
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Strike statusDeclared strike
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Strike typeAirstrike, Drone Strike
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Civilian harm reportedNo
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Civilians reported killedUnknown
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Cause of injury / deathHeavy weapons and explosive munitions
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Airwars civilian harm gradingDiscountedThose killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
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Known belligerentUS Forces
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Known targetAl Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
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Belligerents reported killed4
Sources (58) [ collapse]
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