Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

USSOM023-C

Incident date

April 17, 2012

Location

Gumah, Bari, Somalia

Geolocation

10.88443, 51.11405 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

“Unknown military jets fired several missiles” at a suspected Somali pirate base in the northern autonomous region of Puntland a coastguard official told AFP. The target was the village of Gumah, described as being between Hafun and Bargal towns and some 220 kilometres (140 miles) east of Bossaso, the main port of Somalia’s breakaway Puntland state.

At least two civilians were reported injured, whom RBC Radio described as fishermen.

The air strike came near midnight and was apparently unprecedented as it targeted pirates, not al Shabaab. Muse Jama, an elder, told AFP that the two aircraft that attacked his village “came from the sea.”

Which nation the aircraft belong to is unknown. The European Union’s anti-piracy operation had been authorised to launch strikes on Somali coastal territory. But a spokesperson told AFP the EU was “not involved whatsoever” in the strike and refused to comment on who was. Both NATO and the US were also conducting anti-piracy operations at the time, though neither was known to have deployed airstrikes.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, EU Military
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention that the strike took place in a coastal village called Gumah, 220 kilometres east of the port city Bosaso in Puntland. This likely refers to a village that also goes by the name Gumbax, for which the coordinates are: 10.88443, 51.11405. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • The coastal village Gumbax, 220 kilometres east of Bosaso (220 km radius marked in red)

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

US Forces Assessment:

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

EU Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    EU Military
  • EU Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, EU Military
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM036-C

Incident date

September 9, 2011

Location

جعار, Jaar, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.217814, 45.307025 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A single source, @AdenHurra, reported that “a number of civilians were killed and wounded after warplanes bombed the city of Jaar”, adding that the bombing occurred in the “outskirts of the city”. It is unknown whether Yemeni forces, US forces, or another belligerent, were to be blamed for this incident.

There is no other information available at this time.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Yemeni Air Force, US Forces

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Jaar (جعار), for which the generic coordinates are: 13.217814, 45.307025. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Yemeni Air Force Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Yemeni Air Force
  • Yemeni Air Force position on incident
    Not yet assessed

US Forces Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Yemeni Air Force, US Forces

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM034-C

Incident date

September 5, 2011

Location

مدرسة الفاروق الثانوية في جعار, Al-Farouq high school, Jaar, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.210097, 45.305594 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian, a child, was killed and four others, including two children, were injured in the alleged US drone strike or Yemeni airstrike that hit the Al-Farouq High School in Ja´ar Abyan Province on the 5th of September 2011. Wafaa Mohammed Ahmed al-Hamza (8 years old) was killed and her father Mohammed Ahmed Baggash and her brother Sabr (13 years old) were among the civilians injured.

Mareb Press reported that airstrikes hit Al-Farouq High School and that the number of victims killed and wounded was in the hundreds. This number of civilian casualties was not reiterated by other outlets but Amnesty stated that Wafaa Mohammed Ahmed- Al-Hamza (8 years old) was killed by flying shrapnel. The report stated that: “She and her brother had brought lunch for her father, who worked as a school janitor. While at the school, which was not one of those occupied by Ansar al Shari’a, a missile landed on a section of Ja’ar’s main asphalt road adjacent to the metal entrance gate of the school…The father, who was injured in the shoulder, carried Wafaa and knocked on a neighbour’s door for help”. The neighbour stated that Wafaa was brought to a pharmacist in Batis who pronounced the young girl dead. The report further mentions the injury of Wafaa’s 13-year-old brother who sustained a knee injury.

Whilst not specifying the date, BBC reported on the alleged incident that killed Mohammed Ahmed Baggash’s daughter Wafaa. After hiding from the drone strikes in the school, the school was hit by a drone strike. Mr Baggash said: “It was as if everyone was burning. It was all dark. When the smoke cleared, I saw my son’s leg was bleeding, and my daughter was hit on the back of the head” whilst both children were carried out of the site, his son survived but his daughter bled to death on the way to hospital. Mr Baggash recalled that his daughter started shrinking in his arms. In addition, BBC asserted the injury of further children. Alkarama reported that in addition to the child killed, four others were injured, two men and two children.

Mondoweiss published a report on the alleged incident, with identical names but different times, as it claimed the attack was carried out on the 7th of September, not on the 5th. Mr Baggash told members of Codepink that he and “his children ran to the local school to hide in the basement, afraid there might be another strike. Huddling on the floor, they tried to protect Wafaa by sandwiching her between them.” Mr Baggash’s back was injured whilst his son sustained an injury on his leg. He claimed that Wafaa died on her way to the hospital in Aden. Following the incident, Sabr, Wafaa’s brother, had nightmares for six to eight months and the children in the community were terrified every time they heard or saw a plane.

The airstrikes on Al-Farouq High School was one of multiple airstrikes carried out on September 5th, which hit the Grand Mosque, Al-Razi Hospital, Al-Farouq High School, the Drilling Department, the Jaar Court, and Beit Al-Watti. Sources were conflicted as to whether the airstrikes carried out on this day were conducted by US forces or the Yemeni government.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Wafaa Mohammed Ahmed al-Hamza الحمزة أحمد محمد وفاء
8 years old female killed
Mohammed Ahmed Baggash
Adult male injured
Sabr
13 years old male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention Al Farouq High School (مدرسة الفاروق الثانوية) in the town of Jaar (جعار), for which the generic coordinates are: 13.210097, 45.305594. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

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

Yemeni Air Force Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Yemeni Air Force
  • Yemeni Air Force position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM032-C

Incident date

September 5, 2011

Location

مسجد جعار الكبير, Jaar Grand Mosque, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.224353, 45.305470 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to seven civilians were killed and three to five others, including a child, were injured in alleged Yemeni or US airstrikes against the Grand Mosque in Jaar on the 5th of September, 2011.

Civilians Jaber Qassem Salem (72), Hazza Ahmed Atta Baheb, Haidara Mohsen Ali al-Abidi were killed and Omar Qassem (11) among other civilians was injured.

Dawn reported on the incident quoting a Yemeni official who claimed that the accidental strike on the Grand Mosque killed seven and wounded five civilians. “The air force hit the Grand Mosque in Jaar whereas the target was a small mosque held by suspected Al Qaeda militants,” situated on the edge of the town, said the official. Dawn alleged that a medical official in Al-Razi hospital in Jaar confirmed the death toll, and the numbers were reiterated by The National and by several locals.

The National stated that the security force´s original target was the Al Hamza mosque, which was identified as a base and weapons depot for militants. The air strike was a mistake, but a security official claimed that the ”wanted militants were at the area of the attack one hour earlier”, reported CNN. Amnesty added that Ansar al-Shari´a fighters were firing Kalashnikovs at the aircrafts flying over the market near to the mosque. YMN further elaborated on the event and stated that an ally of Ansar al-Sharia, Khaled Abd al-Nabi, fired “anti-aircraft missiles moving from the middle of the public market, which necessitated the warplanes to launch a raid (…) the armed elements fled”.

Moreover, CNN reported that eyewitnesses saw three aircrafts flying over Jaar minutes before the attack, whilst some of the locals argued that they identified a Saudi plane in the attack, Alkarama claims.

Amnesty identified three civilians that were killed in the attack, including 72 year old Jaber Qassem Salem who died of the injuries he sustained a week after the attack. According to a relative: “He went to the mosque before noon prayers so that he would read the Qu’ran… while there, the mosque was hit and a man we knew immediately drove him to al-Razi Hospital. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, the aircraft struck again at or next to al-Razi… the Ansar al-Shari’a members occupying the hospital left him and fled. They then came back and wrapped his wounds with pieces of cloth, not proper medical bandages, and then my family found out that he was injured and took him to Aden.” Other civilians that were killed in the `botched attack` were identified as Hazza Ahmed Atta Baheb, a seller at the market next to the mosque and Haidara Mohsen Ali al-Abidi. Additionally Amnesty reported that several people were injured including 11 year old Omar Quassem, who was injured by flying shrapnel.

MEO further claimed that the mosque was targeted twice by Yemeni forces, and that the civilians were taken to an unidentified hospital in Jaar, confirming the two airstrikes. While Amnesty International reported the strike was carried out by the Yemen Air Force, the NGO said it ‘cannot exclude the possibility that some of the air strikes documented in this report may have been carried out by US drones’.

The incident occured at approximately 12:00 pm local time.

The victims were named as:

Jaber Qassem Salem سامل قاسم جابر
72 years old male killed
Hazza Ahmed Atta Baheb أحمد باحيب عطا
Age unknown eller in the market killed
Haidara Mohsen Ali al-Abidi العبيدي عيل محسنحيدرة
Age unknown killed
Omar Qassem
11 years old injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Religious Institution
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 7
  • (3 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

Sources (24) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the Jaar Grand Mosque (مسجد جعار الكبير), for which the generic coordinates are: 13.224353, 45.305470. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

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

Yemeni Air Force Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Yemeni Air Force
  • Yemeni Air Force position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Religious Institution
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 7
  • (3 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

Sources (24) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM033-C

Incident date

September 5, 2011

Location

مشفى الرازي في جعار, Al-Razi Hospital, Jaar, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.211636, 45.308129 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Dozens of Al Qaeda linked militants were killed and injured during an alleged airstrike conducted by the Yemeni armed forces targeting the al-Razi hospital in Jaar on September 5th, 2011. Up to two civilians may have been killed in this attack.

AFP quoted a medical official in Al-Razi hospital in Jaar, who confirmed the toll from the previous strike on the Mosque (USYEM032-C), and witnesses said that another raid struck the hospital, wounding two more people, without specifying if they were militants or civilians.

The National reported that the occupation of the hospital by militants had been ongoing for 2 months and local Mr Abdulhabib claimed that doctors only treat militants. He further told the National:” The hospital has been heavily damaged in three strikes. Dozens of militants have been killed and wounded”.

Mnyc reiterated these claims reporting that “dozens of Al Qaeda operatives who were inside were killed, according to statements by the Yemeni government”.

YMN added that the airstrikes hit the backyard of the hospital in which the refrigerator for the dead was located, and further hit the outpatient building at the front of the hospital whilst the third strike hit the centre of the building, the reception hall. Aljaml reported that not only the hospital was destroyed but a number of houses near the hospital were also destroyed.

While Amnesty International, along with other sources, reported the strike was carried out by the Yemen Air Force, the NGO said it ‘cannot exclude the possibility that some of the air strikes documented in this report may have been carried out by US drones’.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    12–24
  • Belligerents reported injured
    12–24

Sources (24) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the Al Razi Hospital (مشفى الرازي) in the town of Jaar (جعار), for which the generic coordinates are: 13.211636, 45.308129. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

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

Yemeni Air Force Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Yemeni Air Force
  • Yemeni Air Force position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    12–24
  • Belligerents reported injured
    12–24

Sources (24) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-142

Incident date

August 20, 2011

Location

طرابلس‎, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.886602, 13.190912 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least 15 people were killed in Tripoli on August 20, 2011 according to an Islamtoday post on Facebook. It is unknown whether those killed were civilians or fighters and it is unknown who killed them. The bodies were buried around the time that the Libyan revolutionaries attacked Libya.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Ground operation
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 15
  • Cause of injury / death
    Small arms and light weapons
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected target
    Unknown
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–15

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Tripoli (طرابلس‎), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.886602, 13.190912. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Ground operation
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 15
  • Cause of injury / death
    Small arms and light weapons
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected target
    Unknown
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–15

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-130

Incident date

July 25, 2011

Location

زليتن, Zliten, Murqub, Libya

Geolocation

32.466659, 14.566591 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between seven and eight civilians were reportedly killed in a NATO airstrike on Zliten.

Antiwar wrote: “A NATO airstrike killed seven people in a hospital in Zlitan, western Libya, on Monday, according to locals and government officials. Medical equipment was visible among the twisted wreckage of the building, the Associated Press reports, after being taken on a government tour of the site.” It added that “the dead included three doctors.”

Al Jazeera said: “Libyan officials have accused NATO of killing at least eight people in an air raid on a food warehouse and medical clinic in Zlitan, east of Tripoli.

Foreign journalists taken to the town of Zlitan on Monday were unable to verify if it was a NATO operation.”

CNN later reported on the incident: “Government officials said they were looking for the bodies of three people believed to be buried underneath, and said the bodies of eight people had been pulled out earlier in the day. Journalists did not see any evidence of dead or wounded at the site.”

It also published the NATO perspective on the incident: “Responding to the Libyan government’s claims to journalists that a health clinic and food-storage facility had been hit, NATO had found no evidence to support the allegations, a NATO representative said.”

In its daily operational report NATO said it struck “3 Command and Control Node, 1 Military Armoured Vehicle Storage Facility, 2 Armed Vehicles” without mentioning civilian harm.

The incident occured around dawn.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 8
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Known target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention a hospital in the vicinity of Zliten (زليتن), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.466659, 14.566591. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

NATO forces
Official source

In the vicinity of Zlitan: 3 Command and Control Node, 1 Military Armoured Vehicle Storage Facility, 2 Armed Vehicles.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 8
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Known target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM022-C

Incident date

July 14, 2011

Location

مديرية الوضيع, Wadi’a district , Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.713333, 46.011944 Note: The accuracy of this location is to District level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Initial reports of a US or Yemeni bombing raid upon a police station in Wadi’a district on July 14, 2011 may have resulted in as many as fifty people killed, with as many as thirty civilians among the deceased. Militants were also killed and injured, though there was huge variation in the numbers reported, which ranged from six to 50 killed and 10 to 12 others injured.

Yusra A @YusraAIA tweeted that warplanes struck a police station in Wadi’a; the location was believed to be a gathering place for militants, with Al Jazeera adding that the militants had taken over the police station. Long War Journal also reported that US airstrikes struck a police station in Yemen, killing six “Islamic militants” during a nighttime raid. @YusraAIA went on to tweet that six armed people were killed, including Mohammed Sufina, a leader of these militant groups. An eyewitness told al Jazeera that the entire police station was demolished and while six dead bodies of gunmen were pulled from the ruins of the police station, the death toll could “climb with ongoing rescue operations”.

Yemeni journalist Nasser Arrabyee claimed that “some 20 Al Qaeda fighters were killed… including leaders Hadi Mohammed Ali and Abu Bilal”. Sahafanet added that eight militants were killed, including “Hadi Mohammad Ali Al-Sa`tari, Al-Tali from Al-Ain, and a person called Al-Hassan from the Mudia and Maslah district. Another is from Marib, whose identity has not been identified, and another is called Al-Kudur from Mudiyah, and three have not yet been identified.” The source added that “the raid injured more than ten others, including a person named Farouk Al-Sout, who was seriously injured, and he was treated at Al-Razi Hospital in Harar.”

Yemeni newspaper Akhbar al Youm reported that fifty “Al Qaeda militants” were killed while CNN reported that Yemeni officials claimed that a single US drone strike had killed fifty militants in Southern Yemen.

“The casualty toll is high because fighters were gathered in that area with family members,” a senior security source in Abyan allegedly told CNN. Witnesses also told the channel that “at least 30 civilians” – “hiding from the attacks” were among the dead. However, according to CNN, “the Yemeni government said that a US drone was not involved in the attack and that its air forces conducted the raid. The Interior Ministry said on its website that nine fighters were killed and dozens were wounded and that the number of deaths was expected to rise.” However, Yemeni officials told the Associated Press that the strike must have been carried out by an American plane “because Yemeni planes aren’t equipped for nighttime strikes”.

The CNN report went on to quote Yousra Bandar, a mother of three, who said: “No one knows who is dying in Abyan. We want to leave the province, but go to where? Leaving the province is a slow death for all of us.”

The incident occured around dawn.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8 – 30
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    6–50
  • Belligerents reported injured
    10–12

Sources (25) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the police station in Al Wadi’a district in Abyan province. The coordinates for Al Wadi’a district (مديرية الوضيع) are: 13.713333, 46.011944. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to locate the police station.

US Forces Assessment:

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

Yemeni Air Force Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Yemeni Air Force
  • Yemeni Air Force position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8 – 30
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Yemeni Air Force
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    6–50
  • Belligerents reported injured
    10–12

Sources (25) [ collapse]