Between 10 and 15 militants linked to Al Qaeda were killed in an alleged Yemeni airstrike or US drone strike just north of the town of Jaar on the 2nd of May, 2012.

Whilst Xinhua stated a local resident had claimed that 10 militants in total had been killed in the airstrike, CNN reported that ‘local security officials’ had stated that 13 suspected militants died in the attack. The Associated Press (AP), in addition to other local sources, claimed the number to be fifteen. Similarly, Itijah made reference to a report by the BBC in which “army officials” were quoted as saying that 15 militants had been killed.

Al-Masdar Online and Itijah both reported that the airstrike was conducted against locations where Al Qaeda militants had been preparing trenches. Al-Masdar Online further stated that these positions were specifically located in the Masnaa area, whilst also citing the BBC report which said that the airstrike had been conducted against a militant “training camp”.

Although the deployment of drones in this airstrike cannot be confirmed, a report by the Associated Press (AP), stated that the airstrike “resembled earlier US drone attacks, but the US did not comment.” Yemen Voice News also reported that “security officials” had said that “a US drone bombed a training site belonging to Al Qaeda in southern Yemen, killing 13 people believed to be militants.” Despite the indications of the involvement of US drones, Xinhua quoted a local resident in Jaar who claimed that the Yemen Air Force (YAF) had carried out the attack.

On the 2nd of May, the day of the airstrike, Xinhua further stated that fierce fighting had erupted in the area after Al Qaeda militants attacked a checkpoint manned by “pro-government tribesmen” referred to by Al-Masdar Online and Itijah as the ‘Popular Committees’. Al-Masdar Online also stated that this checkpoint was specifically located within the area of Shoht, to the north of Jaar.

A Yemeni presidential aide, quoted by CNN and Yemen Voice News, acknowledged that at least two US aircraft had been carrying out “attacks daily since mid-April in southern areas controlled by Al Qaeda fighters.” He went on to say that this was part of a strategy to remove al-Qaeda’s roots in the areas it controlled.

Whilst there were no reports of civilians killed or injured in the airstrike, Associated Press (AP) reported that the al-Qaeda “training camp” which had been hit was set up around an abandoned munitions factory. The factory later “exploded killing at least 100 people. The blast was ignited when impoverished townspeople entered the factory in the aftermath (of the airstrike) to try and haul away anything of value that remained.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Between eight to 17 Al Qaeda militants were killed and five others were injured in an alleged Yemeni or US air strike in the southeastern province of Abyan on the outskirts of the town of Lawdar, on the 21st of April 2012 in the evening. There have been no reports of civilian harm.

Yemen’s Defense Ministry claimed that 17 alleged Al-Qaeda militants were killed in a house hosting a gathering near Lawder.

However, an official told Xinhua that the attack was undertaken by two fighter jets who killed 12 and injured five alleged militants.

The Yemen Defense Ministry announced that 17 suspected militants were killed in a hideout and witnesses added that three were killed when a vehicle caught fire on a road in Samda located between Jouf and Marib due to a missile strike. They added that others were injured in the vehicle. KUNA counted the destruction of three vehicles.

The Yemen Post reports that the attack killed 11 and destroyed military vehicles. The lowest casualty estimate was provided by @MayaSlman, who tweeted that eight Al Qaeda members were killed.

While multiple sources refer to Yemen officials announcing that their air force carried out the strikes, it is unclear whether the airstrikes were carried out by Yemen or by US drones as AFP notes. As Wikileaks from this time period reveal, in some cases the Yemeni government was instructed to take credit for airstrikes carried out by the US.

The incident occured in the evening.