Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

USYEM040-B

Incident date

October 5, 2011

Location

زنجبار‎, Al Arqoub, east of Zinjibar, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.194872, 45.446574 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Subdistrict level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between five and 10 militants, reportedly members of Al Qaeda, were killed and seven more were wounded in a US strike or strikes on Arqoub, east of Zinjibar on October 5, 2011, sources said. There are currently no known reports of civilian harm.

The strike reportedly targeted alleged militant hideouts in al Arqoub, east of Zinjibar, the embattled provincial capital of Abyan in southern Yemen. Officials told the Associated Press that the strike killed five militants and injured seven.

The Long War Journal stated that the exact target of the strikes was not disclosed, and no “senior Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leaders have been reported killed”.

According to the New York Times, “A strike by an American drone on Wednesday [Oct 5th] killed five militants connected with Al Qaeda in southern Yemen, officials said. A Yemeni official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comply with military rules, said the drone attacked militant hide-outs in an area east of the city of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan Province”.

The Yemen Observer said “the drone strike in Abyan killed five and injured seven”. The highest casualty count was provided by @abyanboard, which reported that 10 Yemeni militants were killed.

All of the sources reported that the United States was responsible for the drone strike.

The incident occured around dawn.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    5–10
  • Belligerents reported injured
    7

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the area of Al Arqoub east of the town Zinjibar (زنجبار‎), in the Abyan (أبين‎) governorate. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available, Airwars wasn’t able to locate the Al Arqoub area. The generic coordinates for the area east of Zinjibar (زنجبار‎) are: 13.194872, 45.446574.

US Forces Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    5–10
  • Belligerents reported injured
    7

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM039-B

Incident date

September 30, 2011

Location

الجوف, Jawf, Yemen

Geolocation

16.612171, 45.670558 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Province/governorate level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Four AQAP militants were killed in a confirmed CIA drone strike on Jawf, reports said. There are currently no reports of civilian harm from this strike.

Anwar al Awlaki, the US-born cleric, apparently became the first US citizen to be deliberately killed by the CIA in a drone strike, part of Operation Troy. The attack – assisted by JSOC – also killed US citizen Samir Khan, editor of AQAP’s Inspire magazine, Abu Muhsen al Maribi (or Mohammed bin Muhsen) and Salem al Marwani (aka Salem bin Arfaj). Bomb maker Ibrahim Hassan al Asiri was also initially reported killed in the blast but Associated Press reported he survived.

Al Asiri reportedly made the bomb for the December 2009 “underwear bomber” plot to bring down a jet over Detroit. He is also said to have been behind the devices sent to targets in the US aboard a cargo plane in October 2010. Following this strike al Asiri went to ground, resurfacing more than six months later.

In a May 2013 letter Attorney-General Eric Holder revealed the US deliberately targeted al Awlaki. However Khan was “not specifically targeted by the United States”, Holder added. The letter was a response to requests for information on drone strikes from Patrick Leahy, chair of the US Senate Judiciary Committee.

NBC News journalist Richard Engel tweeted that two cars were struck by “missiles from US aircraft” that killed Anwar al-Awlaki and Bin Arfaj, another al Qaeda operative. Al-Awlaki, the New Mexico-born operative was “the leading English-speaking member of Al Qaeda”, according to Time magazine. These English skills made him particularly dangerous and aided him in appealing to disaffected young men. Nidal Hassan, who killed thirteen people at Fort Hood military base was among those who listened to the teachings of al-Awlaki.

According to the Washington Post, after locating al-Awlaki the CIA assembled a fleet of armed drones to target him: “The choreography of the strike, which involved four drones, was intricate. Two Predators pointed lasers at Awlaki’s vehicle, and a third circled to make sure that no civilians wandered into the cross hairs.” Moved from Pakistani to Yemeni territory, two US Predator drones and two larger Reaper drones encircled and then destroyed the car carrying Al-Awlaki.

The Nation reported that even more military hardware was involved: As the vehicles made their way over the dusty, unpaved roads, US drones, armed with Hellfire missiles, were dispatched to hunt them down. The drones were technically under the command of the CIA, though JSOC aircraft and ground forces were poised to assist. A team of commandos stood at the ready to board V-22 helicopters. As an added measure, Marine Harrier jets scrambled in a backup maneuver.

According to the New York Times, the CIA had just finished building a secret drone base in Saudi Arabia and President Obama’s chief counterterrorism advisor John Brennan directed the Agency take full responsibility for killing Awlaki.

David Petraeus, then director of the CIA, ordered several drones be relocated from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia. Newsweek later reported that the US had been observing Awlaki at the location for two weeks but did not attack because of the presence of children. On the morning of September 30th, however, Awlaki and several of his companions left the safe house and walked about 700 yards to their parked cars. As they were getting into the vehicles, they were blown apart by two Hellfire missiles fired by Reaper drones.

The killing of Khan and Awlaki – and Awlaki’s 16-year old son a week later – led for calls for the US to publish the legal basis on which it had “extrajudicially executed US citizens”, as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) put it.

On December 20th 2011, the New York Times filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration, seeking the release of the Justice Department legal opinion in the Awlaki case, which the department would not disclose. The New York Times had previously reported that the secret memo which authorised the killing stated that it would be lawful “only if it were not feasible to take him alive”.

The memo was “narrowly drawn to the specifics of Mr Alwaki’s case” and circumvented “an executive order banning assassinations, a federal law against murder, protections in the Bill of Rights and various strictures of the international laws of war,” said the New York Times.

In November 2012, it emerged that the US had tried to strip Awlaki of his US passport six months before his death. On the first anniversary of his death, Anwar al Awlaki’s father alleged that Yemen’s government was complicit in his death, saying that ‘there was an agreement between the Yemeni intelligence and the CIA, under which the former abided to submit daily reports on the activities of Anwar al-Awlaki and his movements.’ Dr Nasser al-Awlaki also said that he last met his son in April 2009 after former President Ali Abdullah Saleh had asked him to convince Anwar to return to Sana’a.

But Anwar refused, because the then Interior Minister ordered Shabwah governor and security director to arrest Anwar for no reason.

In April 2014 a US court said that Washington officials could not be held accountable for the death of Anwar al Awlaki, Samir Khan or Abdel Rahman al Awlaki. The court dismissed a suit brought against several officials including then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and then-CIA Director David Petraeus on behalf of Awlaki’s parents by the ACLU and Center for Constitutional Rights.

Circuit Court justice Rosemary Collyer said allowing the suit to continue against individual officials “would impermissibly draw the court into “the heart of executive and military planning and deliberation”. She added: ‘“In this delicate area of war-making, national security, and foreign relations, the judiciary has an exceedingly limited role.”

Due to the actions of a federal judge in December of 2010, the Obama administration was cleared to continue to pursue Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen living in Yemen and alleged member of Al Qaeda. Despite the radicalization of Mr. Al-Awlaki, Jameer Jaffer, a lawyer for the ACLU believed that this court decision would allow the American government to potential kill any American citizen deemed a potential threat to the national security.

An ABC News report quoted President Barack Obama as noting that the death of al-Awlaki dealt a “major blow” to al-Qaeda, and Reuters reported that Obama described the strike as a “significant milestone” in the fight against terrorism, but the killing of an American citizen by American military planes raises difficult questions about the significance of personal liberties when weighed against national security. The same Reuters report noted that American officials believed that Al-Awlaki was planning to use ricin and cyanide in attacks upon Westerners.  While earlier reports noted American planes conducted the fatal attack, the BBC reported that American drones killed al-Awlaki.  The American born cleric, who graduated from Colorado State and later San Diego State with a master’s degree in education, had gained increasing popularity with fiery sermons that called for violence, and American officials believed that he was the leader of Al-Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). He is credited with recruiting Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the infamous “underwear bomber” caught on Christmas day, 2009.  However, the exact role Al-Awlaki played within AQAP is uncertain. Jeremy Binnie, a London-based terrorism analyst said the Al-Awlaki will be “difficult to replace”, while the Reuters article also stated that Al-Awlaki was neither a “commander of AQAP” nor a “senior Islamic cleric”.  The importance of Al-Awlaki remained insignificant to Yemeni citizen Fayza al-Suleimani who said, “Nobody cared about his [al-Awlaki] death. We have bigger problems than Anwar Al-Awlaki.”

The incident occured at 09:55:00 local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    4

Sources (98) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (11) [ collapse]

  • Anwar al Awlaki (via AQAP's Inspire 6)
  • "American-Born Qaeda Leader Is Killed by U S Missile in Yemen" 9( via Getty/AP)
  • Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American Muslim cleric of Yemeni descent, killed by US drones on September 30, 2011. (Image posted by BBC)
  • Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American Muslim cleric of Yemeni descent, killed by US drones on September 30, 2011. (Image posted by Islamist Movements)
  • Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American Muslim cleric of Yemeni descent, killed by US drones on September 30, 2011. (Image posted by Islamist Movements)
  • Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American Muslim cleric of Yemeni descent, killed by US drones on September 30, 2011. (Image posted by Islamist Movements)
  • Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American Muslim cleric of Yemeni descent, killed by US drones on September 30, 2011. (Image posted by Islamist Movements)
  • Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American Muslim cleric of Yemeni descent, killed by US drones on September 30, 2011. (Image posted by New York Times)
  • Samir Khan, killed by US drones on September 30, 2011. (Image posted by Long War Journal)
  • Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American Muslim cleric of Yemeni descent, killed by US drones on September 30, 2011. (Image posted by Long War Journal)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the governorate of Jawf (الجوف), for which the generic coordinates are: 16.612171, 45.670558. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

{"type":"FeatureCollection","features":[{"type":"Feature","properties":{"stroke":"#ff0000","stroke-width":1,"stroke-opacity":1,"fill-opacity":0},"geometry":{"type":"MultiPolygon","coordinates":[[[[46.340006420000066,17.23501564000003],[46.36666667000003,17.23333333000005],[46.39061830000003,17.236479660000043],[46.414570740000045,17.23962313900006],[46.438533310000025,17.242764989000023],[46.462487370000076,17.245902760000035],[46.48644224000003,17.24903768000007],[46.51039791000005,17.252169740000056],[46.53435440000004,17.255298950000054],[46.557799180000075,17.25835845000006],[46.582269790000055,17.261548789000074],[46.606238020000035,17.264670640000077],[46.63018842000008,17.26778721000005],[46.654148930000076,17.270902130000024],[46.67884654000005,17.274109770000052],[46.70207239000007,17.277123390000042],[46.72594211000006,17.280217650000054],[46.75,17.283333330000062],[46.76565289000007,17.262507120000066],[46.781302260000075,17.24167964000003],[46.79694813000003,17.220850899000027],[46.812584980000054,17.200028230000044],[46.82615023000005,17.181959410000047],[46.84385921000006,17.158364470000038],[46.85949109000006,17.13753071000002],[46.875113990000045,17.116703030000053],[46.89073891000004,17.095866770000043],[46.906360360000065,17.075029260000065],[46.92197284000008,17.05419783900004],[46.937587360000066,17.033357839000075],[46.955120040000054,17.009950770000046],[46.96880053000007,16.991681460000052],[46.98439919000003,16.97084508000006],[47,16.95],[47.00221758300006,16.95000086600004],[47.002411506000044,16.95000094100004],[47.00242280700007,16.949358373000052],[47.00242429100007,16.949273924000067],[47.002583489000074,16.948591709000027],[47.00261129800003,16.94847254000007],[47.00261129800003,16.925155247000077],[47.00261129800003,16.878199696000024],[47.00261129800003,16.829856027000062],[47.00364347000004,16.82994777500005],[47.00342,16.79478],[47.00307,16.740709999000046],[47.003067024000075,16.739512508000075],[47.00306085300008,16.737029707000033],[47.002917119000074,16.679201945000045],[47.00261530300003,16.560640560000024],[47.00215,16.370569999000054],[46.840977699000064,16.195421046000035],[46.810777915000074,16.16194674600007],[46.44588,16.113089999000067],[46.28999,16.08768],[46.00332,16.04005],[45.95509,16.03216],[45.866,16.01851],[45.85074,16.01617],[45.8221,16.01179],[45.81972,16.01095],[45.81831,16.01072],[45.79966,16.00572],[45.78445,16.00123],[45.76953,15.99611],[45.75462,15.99041],[45.74018,15.98408],[45.7323,15.98029],[45.716250141000046,15.972550109000053],[45.71034,15.9697],[45.69537,15.96171],[45.67278,15.94869],[45.64669,15.93064],[45.63361,15.92159],[45.62475,15.91347],[45.59086,15.87977999900005],[45.5661,15.84458],[45.54689,15.81549],[45.53416,15.79895],[45.52976,15.79421],[45.52768,15.79197],[45.52673,15.79099],[45.51574,15.779779999000027],[45.50422,15.76942],[45.49662,15.76341],[45.48926,15.757689999000036],[45.48611,15.75624],[45.48125,15.75397],[45.48113,15.75391],[45.46898,15.75375],[45.45678,15.75374],[45.42251,15.75372],[45.28669,15.75328],[45.25195,15.75378],[45.25142,15.75379],[45.25129,15.75387],[45.2336,15.76563],[45.08679710900003,15.863245224000025],[45.05978,15.881209999000077],[45.00025,15.92072999900006],[44.99209039500005,15.926143163000063],[44.94805,15.95536],[44.9046,15.98416],[44.88129,15.99978],[44.86656,16.00967],[44.85496864100003,16.017436561000068],[44.84674,16.022949999000048],[44.83806,16.02877],[44.72201,16.02871],[44.71791032900006,16.02870376000004],[44.71544,16.0287],[44.71544331000007,16.028703568000026],[44.715182078000055,16.02870331300005],[44.7118,16.0287],[44.71065092300006,16.028698689000066],[44.6066,16.028579999000044],[44.59888846200005,16.028507355000045],[44.5928,16.02845],[44.59149009500004,16.026490142000057],[44.59149,16.026489999000034],[44.58831908500008,16.021743248000064],[44.587451885000064,16.02044508000006],[44.57504617400008,16.00187415000005],[44.57501,16.00182],[44.52777,16.01142999900003],[44.52764,16.01145],[44.48439,16.02024],[44.426715331000025,16.031815880000067],[44.38287,16.03002],[44.372752207000076,16.037973260000058],[44.35720384100006,16.046818230000042],[44.338946031000035,16.054785759000026],[44.33579,16.056459999000026],[44.33015664800007,16.059062938000068],[44.32700151800003,16.06170495400005],[44.32524,16.06318],[44.324630385000034,16.064150479000034],[44.3235,16.06595],[44.32187,16.07085],[44.31936,16.07861],[44.31704,16.08304],[44.31435,16.0871],[44.31243,16.08968],[44.30983,16.09374],[44.30714,16.0978],[44.30205,16.10426],[44.29926,16.10823],[44.29685,16.11137],[44.29455,16.11432],[44.29263,16.11578999900007],[44.28688,16.11882],[44.28573,16.11965],[44.28131,16.12334],[44.28073,16.12611],[44.27938,16.12907],[44.27708,16.13072],[44.27592,16.13359],[44.27667,16.13645],[44.27819,16.13923],[44.27972,16.14063],[44.28277,16.14341],[44.28516,16.1449],[44.28716,16.14777],[44.28686,16.150919999000052],[44.28609,16.15387],[44.28722,16.15665],[44.28903,16.15897],[44.28931,16.16192999900005],[44.28901,16.16452],[44.28766,16.16812],[44.28802,16.173949999000058],[44.28897,16.17543],[44.2904,16.17886],[44.290667330000076,16.180097110000077],[44.29134,16.18321],[44.29123,16.18570999900004],[44.28854,16.19079],[44.28554,16.19771],[44.28389,16.20241999900003],[44.27796,16.20425],[44.27738,16.20471],[44.27259,16.2071],[44.27144,16.20737],[44.26828,16.2081],[44.26636,16.20837],[44.26377,16.21049],[44.26462,16.21364],[44.26557,16.21457],[44.27958,16.23182],[44.27937,16.23207],[44.2799,16.23205],[44.29321,16.24838],[44.29498,16.25074],[44.2958,16.25355],[44.29615,16.2567],[44.29643,16.25974],[44.29654,16.26283],[44.29748,16.26599],[44.29925,16.26834],[44.3006,16.27116],[44.30059,16.27147],[44.30208,16.27236],[44.30309,16.27731],[44.30298,16.28394],[44.30242,16.2891],[44.30231,16.29012],[44.30186,16.29135],[44.29635,16.29551],[44.29598,16.29532],[44.29593,16.29548],[44.29289,16.29598],[44.29251,16.29584],[44.29004,16.29493],[44.28677,16.294979999000077],[44.28397,16.29657],[44.28228,16.2978],[44.28231,16.29854],[44.28085,16.30091],[44.2786,16.30337],[44.27467,16.30381],[44.27386,16.30345],[44.27424,16.30626],[44.27542,16.30901],[44.27701,16.31193999900006],[44.27867,16.31436],[44.28038,16.31676999900003],[44.28221,16.31941],[44.28433,16.32195],[44.28606,16.32453],[44.28729,16.32723],[44.28864,16.33067],[44.2897,16.33349],[44.29094,16.33717],[44.29211,16.34026],[44.29287,16.34335],[44.2935,16.34651],[44.2941,16.34972],[44.29414,16.35275],[44.29413,16.35568],[44.29441,16.35917],[44.29434,16.36272],[44.29432,16.36586999900004],[44.29413,16.36890999900004],[44.29402848900003,16.371416555000053],[44.294,16.37212],[44.29318,16.37435],[44.29298,16.37492],[44.29047,16.37692],[44.28761,16.37827],[44.28481,16.3794],[44.28189,16.38082],[44.27861,16.38235],[44.27581,16.38383],[44.27277,16.38535],[44.270390374000044,16.386921619000077],[44.27009,16.38712],[44.26758,16.38906],[44.2652,16.391109999000037],[44.26269,16.393499999000028],[44.26083,16.39585],[44.26061,16.39605],[44.26049916900007,16.39620562300007],[44.25868,16.39876],[44.257940302000065,16.401746881000065],[44.25789,16.40195],[44.25794,16.40499],[44.2584,16.40786],[44.25887,16.41083],[44.25939,16.41410999900006],[44.25972,16.41709],[44.26013,16.42031],[44.26042,16.4235],[44.2607,16.4274],[44.2611,16.43084],[44.26156,16.43388],[44.26159860300004,16.434299115000044],[44.26184,16.436919999000054],[44.26195,16.43984],[44.26205,16.44276],[44.2621,16.44574],[44.26209,16.44883],[44.26207,16.45221],[44.26206240300007,16.45353948500002],[44.26205,16.45571],[44.26216,16.4588],[44.26203,16.46184],[44.2616,16.464809999000067],[44.260971924000046,16.46630692800005],[44.26185729100007,16.488598582000066],[44.26237184000007,16.501552739000033],[44.262482669000065,16.504342833000067],[44.26347164600003,16.529238495000072],[44.26347869500006,16.529415940000035],[44.263480909000066,16.529471665000074],[44.26527,16.53286999900007],[44.26560708900007,16.53339960900007],[44.26998,16.54027],[44.26998,16.54229],[44.25943,16.54408],[44.25383,16.5461],[44.25362,16.54969],[44.24822,16.55708],[44.247845022000035,16.557491678000076],[44.24304247500004,16.561684570000068],[44.24015115700007,16.56288833600007],[44.23821001400006,16.563727537000034],[44.236485178000066,16.564186516000063],[44.233451898000055,16.564374789000055],[44.228905276000035,16.56382625300006],[44.22720608800006,16.564695748000076],[44.219654759000036,16.56855958500006],[44.2171,16.56878],[44.21388,16.569619999000054],[44.21358,16.56975],[44.21102,16.57081],[44.20797,16.57286],[44.20552,16.57485],[44.20301,16.57707],[44.2002,16.57957],[44.19751,16.58191],[44.1947,16.58419],[44.19232,16.58624],[44.1901,16.588229999000077],[44.18789,16.590339999000037],[44.1859,16.59255],[44.18357,16.59512],[44.18142,16.59729],[44.17945,16.59951],[44.17741,16.60185],[44.17532,16.60424],[44.17292,16.60681],[44.17006,16.607939999000052],[44.16702,16.60798],[44.16339,16.60795999900006],[44.16041,16.60834],[44.15743,16.60902],[44.15392,16.61014],[44.15141,16.61179],[44.14836,16.6136],[44.14562,16.61485],[44.14227,16.61655],[44.13947,16.61797],[44.13637,16.61955],[44.13308,16.62148],[44.13021,16.62318],[44.12705,16.62494],[44.1243,16.62653],[44.12114,16.62857],[44.11857,16.63079],[44.11586,16.63329999900003],[44.11421969200006,16.63509803000005],[44.11378,16.63558],[44.113676629000054,16.635672770000042],[44.11144,16.63768],[44.10907422100007,16.639830436000068],[44.10702,16.64178],[44.105174341000065,16.642996222000022],[44.10336408300003,16.643962850000037],[44.10179648800005,16.644741778000025],[44.121089881000046,16.720396910000034],[44.121001539000076,16.739672106000057],[44.11674255400004,16.74787224100004],[44.10914,16.76251],[44.14758,16.780849999000054],[44.14779,16.78099],[44.16718,16.7937],[44.18451,16.7937],[44.18570099100003,16.793931],[44.20969947300006,16.798585648000028],[44.24308,16.80506],[44.25054,16.808609999000055],[44.257031,16.81846488900004],[44.27439,16.84482],[44.27981,16.84907],[44.28664,16.86364],[44.28748,16.87519],[44.28871,16.87985],[44.2915,16.88135],[44.29682,16.87671],[44.30413,16.8676],[44.31277,16.8662],[44.31727,16.87041],[44.31538,16.8808],[44.31446,16.88481],[44.3138,16.88769],[44.31658,16.89172],[44.32658,16.89147],[44.32968,16.89188],[44.33127,16.89453],[44.32796,16.90164],[44.32887,16.91204],[44.33136,16.91594],[44.33277,16.91815],[44.33778,16.91972],[44.34254,16.91709],[44.34737,16.91693],[44.35744,16.93104],[44.360904094000034,16.93435111100007],[44.37397,16.94684],[44.3754,16.95002],[44.37567452300004,16.950634292000075],[44.37763,16.95501],[44.37754,16.96317],[44.3902,16.98286],[44.39230113000008,16.985420969000074],[44.39939790200003,17.00198815400006],[44.402358271000026,17.006601768000053],[44.404290649000075,17.009096568000075],[44.42417162300006,17.021972860000062],[44.457493699000054,17.040484164000077],[44.45749290900005,17.040757969000026],[44.46069711200005,17.042259986000033],[44.466379464000056,17.045859363000034],[44.47454141500003,17.051157637000074],[44.47857094900007,17.05375673900005],[44.48032809100005,17.054657338000027],[44.48270657200004,17.05545993900006],[44.48518858400007,17.05626277500005],[44.488705164000066,17.05726732200003],[44.49149829400005,17.05787173300007],[44.49387794000006,17.05827594300007],[44.49667137000006,17.058780718000037],[44.49987806300004,17.059585172000027],[44.50163589400006,17.060286458000064],[44.502979167000035,17.061185848000036],[44.505250912000065,17.063282291000064],[44.50700670800006,17.064780057000064],[44.509379455000044,17.06787236300005],[44.51041149300005,17.069069651000063],[44.51258041700004,17.07096663300007],[44.514851874000044,17.073262102000058],[44.516787140000076,17.075482072000057],[44.51807953700006,17.076107437000076],[44.51937034900004,17.07735507900003],[44.52104684200003,17.079599287000065],[44.52246425000004,17.081967330000055],[44.523493476000056,17.084334452000064],[44.52465465800003,17.085706215000073],[44.52806937200006,17.091501487000073],[44.52952461400008,17.093511140000032],[44.52987488100007,17.09399484000005],[44.53194050800005,17.095990948000065],[44.53478236400008,17.09811327700004],[44.53840017300007,17.100486252000053],[44.54279337300005,17.103358747000073],[44.54770499500006,17.105983391000052],[44.55132580600008,17.107236025000077],[44.553524795000044,17.107738717000075],[44.55533671000006,17.107742703000042],[44.557148624000035,17.107746673000065],[44.56051477900007,17.107256172000064],[44.564657159000035,17.106891743000062],[44.56931750000007,17.106403873000033],[44.57578943800007,17.106044155000063],[44.58472036500007,17.105689287000075],[44.590932603000056,17.10570192800003],[44.59259125300008,17.10577778000004],[44.59377961000007,17.105832116000045],[44.600639235000074,17.10572129800005],[44.60374535900007,17.105727398000056],[44.61869423600007,17.105444942000076],[44.623742193000055,17.10520546400005],[44.62749542700004,17.105212401000074],[44.64639386500005,17.103752761000067],[44.68082102100004,17.103187630000036],[44.686196023000036,17.10314020800007],[44.710782563000066,17.10292147000007],[44.71958340900005,17.102809382000032],[44.72825428800007,17.10307011900005],[44.73705514100004,17.102957273000072],[44.749479800000074,17.102848558000062],[44.75439815400006,17.10260566000005],[44.763976928000034,17.101372441000024],[44.774461373000065,17.10026423900007],[44.781192098000076,17.099524855000027],[44.78818217400004,17.09828767700003],[44.79258324700004,17.097545465000053],[44.79569037700003,17.096552936000023],[44.79918612600005,17.095187362000047],[44.80158185400006,17.093758423000054],[44.80740928100005,17.09015468000007],[44.813495802000034,17.086053160000063],[44.82100625800007,17.081205949000037],[44.83032933700008,17.074866444000065],[44.83499058500007,17.071758758000044],[44.841851881000025,17.06815484400005],[44.845476476000044,17.066415177000067],[44.84780613300006,17.065794630000028],[44.85155933500005,17.064926180000043],[44.855181608000066,17.063857003000066],[44.85660693700004,17.063436271000057],[44.86307752500005,17.062320585000066],[44.87019500800005,17.061205107000035],[44.88015937700004,17.059593233000044],[44.882180633000075,17.05923552200005],[44.90854613600004,17.05493158300004],[44.921200114000044,17.053893607000077],[44.931865437000056,17.053201944000023],[44.95283411100007,17.052686255000026],[44.95281644000005,17.12293362400004],[44.95315116100005,17.23021649900005],[44.951174922000064,17.232914669000024],[44.95296943300008,17.233346244000074],[44.95319023300004,17.37992365300005],[44.953271002000065,17.43353380900004],[44.95908891000005,17.433533139000076],[44.96874235200005,17.43353166000003],[44.98511539000003,17.43352808000003],[45.01060533000003,17.433519820000072],[45.03635883000004,17.43350817000004],[45.06212173000006,17.43349317900004],[45.087875230000066,17.433474870000055],[45.113638120000076,17.433453219000057],[45.14112356000004,17.43342645000007],[45.16515448000007,17.433399929000075],[45.190907940000045,17.43336830000004],[45.21666667000005,17.43333333000004],[45.23959590000004,17.42084169000003],[45.26252202000006,17.408347390000074],[45.285436840000045,17.395854910000025],[45.30835673000007,17.38335531000007],[45.331273510000074,17.370853070000067],[45.354187170000046,17.358348190000072],[45.37709773000006,17.34584066000002],[45.4,17.333333330000073],[45.42513853000003,17.330384250000066],[45.45387129000005,17.327009540000063],[45.48081022000008,17.323841660000028],[45.50867260000007,17.320561259000044],[45.53466664000007,17.317497230000072],[45.56160279000005,17.314318490000062],[45.58778180000007,17.31122552000005],[45.615462990000026,17.307951239000033],[45.642387030000066,17.304762740000058],[45.66931948000007,17.301569509000046],[45.696241660000055,17.298373780000077],[45.72317224000005,17.29517333000007],[45.75009256000004,17.29197036900007],[45.77701195000003,17.288763790000075],[45.80393974000003,17.285552490000043],[45.83085726000007,17.282338700000025],[45.85777385000006,17.279121289000045],[45.884698840000055,17.27589916000005],[45.91161355000003,17.272674530000074],[45.938527330000056,17.269446290000076],[45.96544017000008,17.266214450000064],[45.992352080000046,17.262979010000038],[46.01927237000007,17.25973883000006],[46.049793340000065,17.256060770000033],[46.07309148000007,17.253249909000033],[46.1,17.249999999000067],[46.124417150000056,17.248488760000043],[46.15507409000003,17.24658708000004],[46.17963109000004,17.24506039000005],[46.20667430000003,17.243375640000068],[46.23334168000008,17.241710710000064],[46.26029008000006,17.240024609000045],[46.28667501000007,17.23837024000005],[46.313340950000054,17.23669471000005],[46.340006420000066,17.23501564000003]]]]}}]}

US Forces Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

US Forces
Official source

Dear Mr. Chairman:

Since entering office, the President has made clear his commitment to providing
Congress and the American people with as much information as possible about our
sensitive counterterrorism operations, consistent with our national security and the proper
functioning of the Executive Branch. Doing so is necessary, the President stated in his
May 21, 2009 National Archives speech, because it enables the citizens of our democracy
to "make informed judgments and hold [their Government] accountable."

In furtherance of this commitment, the Administration has provided an
unprecedented level of transparency into how sensitive counterterrorism operations are
conducted. Several senior Administration officials, including myself, have taken
numerous steps to explain publicly the legal basis for the United States' actions to the
American people and the Congress. For example, in March 2012, I delivered an address
at Northwestern University Law School discussing certain aspects of the
Administration's counterterrorism legal framework. And the Department of Justice and
other departments and agencies have continually worked with the appropriate oversight
committees in the Congress to ensure that those committees are fully informed of the
legal basis for our actions.

The Administration is determined to continue these extensive outreach efforts to
communicate with the American people. Indeed, the President reiterated in his State of
the Union address earlier this year that he would continue to engage with the Congress
about our counterterrorism efforts to ensure that they remain consistent with our laws and
values, and become more transparent to the American people and to the world.

To this end, the President has directed me to disclose certain information that until
now has been properly classified. You and other Members of your Committee have on
numerous occasions expressed a particular interest in the Administration's use of lethal
force against U.S. citizens. In light of this fact, I am writing to disclose to you certain
information about the number of U.S. citizens who have been killed by U.S.
counterterrorism operations outside of areas of active hostilities. Since 2009, the United
States, in the conduct of U.S. counterterrorism operations against al-Qa'ida and its

associated forces outside of areas of active hostilities, has specifically targeted and killed
one U.S. citizen, Anwar al-Aulaqi. The United States is further aware of three other U.S.
citizens who have been killed in such U.S. counterterrorism operations over that same
time period: Samir Khan, 'Abd al-Rahman Anwar al-Aulaqi, and Jude Kenan
Mohammed. These individuals were not specifically targeted by the United States.

As I noted in my speech at Northwestern, "it is an unfortunate but undeniable
fact" that a "small number" of U.S. citizens "have decided to commit violent attacks
against their own country from abroad." Based on generations-old legal principles and
Supreme Court decisions handed down during World War II, as well as during the
current conflict, it is clear and logical that United States citizenship alone does not make
such individuals immune from being targeted. Rather, it means that the government must
take special care and take into account all relevant constitutional considerations, the laws
of war, and other law with respect to U.S. citizens -- even those who are leading efforts to
kill their fellow, innocent Americans. Such considerations allow for the use of lethal
force in a foreign country against a U.S. citizen who is a senior operational leader of al-
Qa'ida or its associated forces, and who is actively engaged in planning to kill
Americans, in the following circumstances: (1) the U.S. government has determined,
after a thorough and careful review, that the individual poses an imminent threat of
violent attack against the United States; (2) capture is not feasible; and (3) the operation
would be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable law of war principles.

These conditions should not come as a surprise: the Administration's legal views
on this weighty issue have been clear and consistent over time. The analysis in my
speech at Northwestern University Law School is entirely consistent with not only the
analysis found in the unclassified white paper the Department of Justice provided to your
Committee soon after my speech, but also with the classified analysis the Department
shared with other congressional committees in May 2011 -- months before the operation
that resulted in the death of Anwar al-Aulaqi. The analysis in my speech is also entirely
consistent with the classified legal advice on this issue the Department of Justice has
shared with your Committee more recently. In short, the Administration has
demonstrated its commitment to discussing with the Congress and the American people
the circumstances in which it could lawfully use lethal force in a foreign country against
a U.S. citizen who is a senior operational leader of al-Qa'ida or its associated forces, and
who is actively engaged in planning to kill Americans.

Anwar al-Aulaqi plainly satisfied all of the conditions I outlined in my speech at
Northwestern. Let me be more specific. Al-Aulaqi was a senior operational leader of al-
Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the most dangerous regional affiliate of al-
Qa'ida and a group that has committed numerous terrorist attacks overseas and attempted
multiple times to conduct terrorist attacks against the U.S. homeland. And al-Aulaqi was
not just a senior leader of AQAP -- he was the group's chief of external operations,
intimately involved in detailed planning and putting in place plots against U.S. persons.

In this role, al-Aulaqi repeatedly made clear his intent to attack U.S. persons and
his hope that these attacks would take American lives. For example. in a message to

Muslims living in the United States, he noted that he had come "to the conclusion that
jihad against America is binding upon myself just as it is binding upon every other able
Muslim." But it was not al-Aulaqi's words that led the United States to act against him:
they only served to demonstrate his intentions and state of mind, that he "pray[ed] that
Allah [would] destro America and all its allies." Rather, it was al-Aulaqi's actions --
and, in particular, his direct personal involvement in the continued planning and
execution of terrorist attacks against the U.S. homeland -- that made him a lawful target
and led the United States to take action.

For example, when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab -- the individual who attempted
to blow up an airplane bound for Detroit on Christmas Day 2009 -- went to Yemen in
2009, al--Aulaqi arranged an introduction via text message. Abdulmutallab told U.S.
officials that he stayed at al-Aulaqi's house for three days, and then spent two weeks at
an AQAP training camp. Al-Aulaqi planned a suicide operation for Abdulmutallab,
helped Abdulmutallab draft a statement for a video to be shown after the
attack, and directed him to take down a U.S. airliner. Al-Aulaqi's last instructions were
to blow up the airplane when it was over American soil. Al-Aulaqi also played a key role
in the October 2010 plot to detonate explosive devices on two U.S.-bound cargo planes:
he not only helped plan and oversee the plot, but was also directly involved in the details
of its execution to the point that he took part in the development and testing of the
explosive devices that were placed on the planes. Moreover, information that remains
classified to protect sensitive sources and methods evidences al-Aulaqi's involvement in
the planning of numerous plots against U.S. and Western interests and makes clear
he was continuing to plot attacks when he was killed.

Based on this information, high-level U.S. government officials appropriately
concluded that al-Aulaqi posed a continuing and imminent threat of violent attack against
the United States. Before carrying out the operation that killed al-Aulaqi, senior officials
also determined, based on a careful evaluation of the circumstances at the time, that it
was not feasible to capture al-Aulaqi. In addition, senior officials determined that the
operation would be conducted consistent with applicable law of war principles, including
the cardinal principles of (1) necessity -- the requirement that the target have definite
military value; (2) distinction -- the idea that only military objectives may be intentionally
targeted and that civilians are protected from being intentionally targeted; (3)
proportionality -- the notion that the anticipated collateral damage of an action cannot be
excessive in relation to the anticipated concrete and direct military advantage; and (4)
humanity -- a principle that requires us to use weapons that will not inflict unnecessary
suffering. The operation was also undertaken consistent with Yemeni sovereignty.

While a substantial amount of information indicated that Anwar al-Aulaqi was a
senior AQAP leader actively plotting to kill Americans, the decision that he was a lawful
target was not taken The decision to use lethal force is one of the gravest that our
government, at every level, can face. The operation to target Anwar a1--Aulaqi was thus
subjected to an exceptionally rigorous interagency legal review: not only did I and other
Department of Justice lawyers conclude after a thorough and searching review that the

operation was lawful, but so too did other departments and agencies within the U.S.
government.

The decision to target Anwar al-Aulaqi was additionally subjected to extensive
policy review at the highest levels of the U.S. Government, and senior U.S. officials also
briefed the appropriate committees of Congress on the possibility of using lethal force
against al--Aulaq i. Indeed, the Administration informed the relevant congressional
oversight committees that it had approved the use of lethal force against al-Aulaqi in
February 2010 -- well over a year before the operation in question -- and the legal
justification was subsequently explained in detail to those committees, well before action
was taken against Aulaqi. This extensive outreach is consistent with the Administration's
strong and continuing commitment to congressional oversight of our counterterrorism
operations -- oversight which ensures, as the President stated during his State of the
Union address, that our actions are "consistent with our laws and system of checks and
balances."

The Supreme Court has long "made clear that a state of war is not a blank check
for the President when it comes to the rights of the Nation's citizens." Hamdi v.
Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507, 536 (2004); Youngstown Sheet Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 U.S.
578, 5 87 (1952). But the Court's case law and longstanding practice and principle also
make clear that the Constitution does not prohibit the Government it establishes from
taking action to protect the American people from the threats posed by terrorists who hide
in faraway countries and continually plan and launch plots against the U.S. homeland.
The decision to target Anwar al-Aulaqi was lawful, it was considered, and it was just.



This letter is only one of a number of steps the Administration will be taking to
fulfill the President's State of the Union commitment to engage with Congress and the
American people on our counterterrorism efforts. This week the President approved and
relevant congressional committees will be notified and briefed on a document that
institutionalizes the Administration's exacting standards and processes for reviewing and
approving operations to capture or use lethal force against terrorist targets outside the
United States and areas of active hostilities; these standards and processes are either
already in place or are to be transitioned into place. While that document remains
classified, it makes clear that a cornerstone of the Administration's policy is one of the
principles I noted in my speech at Northwestern: that lethal force should not be used
when it is feasible to capture a terrorist suspect. For circumstances in which capture is
feasible, the policy outlines standards and procedures to ensure that operations to take
into custody a terrorist suspect are conducted in accordance with all applicable law,
including the laws of war. When capture is not feasible, the policy provides that lethal
force may be used only when a terrorist target poses a continuing, imminent threat to
Americans, and when certain other preconditions, including a requirement that no other
reasonable alternatives exist to effectively address the threat, are satisfied. And in all
circumstances there must be a legal basis for using force against the target. Significantly,

the President will soon be speaking publicly in greater detail about our counterterrorism
operations and the legal and policy framework that governs those actions.

I recognize that even after the Administration makes unprecedented disclosures
like those contained in this letter, some unanswered questions will remain. I assure you
that the President and his national security team are mindful of this Administration's
pledge to public accountability for our counterterrorism efforts, and we will continue to
give careful consideration to whether and how additional information may be declassified
and disclosed to the American people without harming our national security.

Sincerely,



Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Attorney General

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    4

Sources (98) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM038-B

Incident date

September 21, 2011

Location

شقرة, Shaqra, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

13.356639, 45.699426 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On September 21 2011, alleged US airstrikes on the town of Shaqra in Yemen’s southern Abyan province killed six to seven alleged AQAP militants. One outlet, AFP, stated that three alleged militants were injured in the strike. There are no reported cases of civilian harm.

Aden Online and Long War Journal put the number of alleged militants killed at seven, whereas AFP put the number at six. AFP was the only outlet to report that militants were injured in the strikes.

The outlet Aden Online claimed the strikes were carried out by American warplanes while others, such as Neoclassical Blog citing the news outlet Al Arabiya, stated that the strikes were conducted by US drones. Long War Journal reported that when they contacted the US for comment, the US military officials “would not comment on airstrikes, but said US forces are supporting Yemeni forces”.

The strike in Al-Shaqra corresponded with others throughout Abyan, including the town of Al-Mahfad, where numerous sources claimed that US strikes killed four alleged AQAP militants (USYEM037-B).

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    6–7
  • Belligerents reported injured
    3

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Shaqra (شقرة), for which the generic coordinates are: 13.356639, 45.699426. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    6–7
  • Belligerents reported injured
    3

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM037-B

Incident date

September 21, 2011

Location

المحفد, Al Mahfed, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

14.059345, 46.915427 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On 21 September, 2011, alleged US airstrikes on the town of Al-Mahfad were said to have killed four suspected AQAP militants, according to numerous sources. Initial claims that high-profile Al Qaeda officials such as Anwar al-Awlaki, Fahd al-Quso and Said al-Shihri may have been present and killed in the strike were later proven false. There are no reported cases of civilian harm.

The strike on Al-Mahfad took place in conjunction with numerous strikes throughout the province of Abyan in south Yemen, and several sources, such as AFP, Al Hadath Journal, and Yemen Latest News put the number of alleged AQAP militants killed throughout the province at ten. AFP reported that of the ten, six were killed in a strike on Shaqra and four were killed in a strike on Al-Mahfad. AFP reported that two strikes took place in Mahfad.

A resident told Aden Al-Ghad that he saw dense smoke rising from the middle of rugged wooden warehouses used by the shepherds years ago to store firewood and other materials before armed groups settled in the area into gathering centers.

AFP and Aden Online reported that four alleged militants were killed in the strike on Al-Mahfad, with Aden Online noting that the strike was the work of US aircraft. Other sources, such as Al Hadath, claim that the strikes were carried out by drones. Long War Journal states that it is unknown whether the strikes were carried out by warplanes or drones and that when they contacted the US for comment, the US military officials “would not comment on airstrikes, but said US forces are supporting Yemeni forces”.

The incident occured in the afternoon.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    4

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • A screenshot captured on the BBC website shows Said al-Shihri (Photo credit: AP), an al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) commander who was though to have been targeted and killed in the strike. However this was later proven false.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Mahfed (المحفد), for which the generic coordinates are: 14.059345, 46.915427. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    4

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USSOM013-C

Incident date

September 15, 2011

Location

Kismayo, Lower Juba, Somalia

Geolocation

-0.355651, 42.545703 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A single source reported that nine civilians died in alleged US drone strikes on Kismayo.

According to the source Antiwar.com, “Eyewitnesses in the southern Somali port city of Kismayo have reported a number of missile strikes, apparently fired by US drones in and around the city. Terrified residents say that several loud explosions were heard in the area.

“The militant faction al-Shabaab, which is in control of the area, says the drones hit on the outskirts of the town and killed at least nine civilians, including women and children. 30 others were reported wounded in the strikes.”

AFP reported that residents of Kismayo heard “the sound of aircraft and heavy explosions… We heard planes flying over Kismayo and minutes later there were at least three explosions,” resident Mohamed Ali told AFP by phone. “The aircraft fired heavy missiles into a jungle area where the Shebab established training camps, but we don’t know more,” Abdikarim Samow, another resident, told AFP.

Armed drones were operating from Mahe in the Seychelles (along with those used purely for surveillance), the Washington Post reported: “In the Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean…a small fleet of ‘hunter-killer’ drones resumed operations this month after an experimental mission demonstrated that the unmanned aircraft could effectively patrol Somalia from there.”

Seychelles foreign minister Jean-Paul Adam denied the drones were armed. However, a 2009 diplomatic cable stated the US “would seek discrete [sic], specific discussions … to gain approval’ to arm the Reapers in the Seychelles ‘should the desire to do so ever arise”.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    9
  • (2 children2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–30
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Unknown
  • Suspected target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    5–30

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention that the strike targeted a jungle or the outskirts of Kismayo. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the precise location of the strike. The generic coordinates for the city Kismayo are: -0.355651, 42.545703.

US Forces Assessment:

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

Unknown Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Unknown
  • Unknown position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    9
  • (2 children2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–30
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Unknown
  • Suspected target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    5–30

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEM035-B

Incident date

September 7, 2011

Location

المحفد, Al Mahfed, Abyan, Yemen

Geolocation

14.059345, 46.915427

Airwars assessment

An alleged US Predator drone strike struck a makeshift Al Qaeda checkpoint in Mihfed, Abyan Province killing up to 10 members of Al Qaeda and wounding as many as dozens more. There are currently no known reports of civilian harm.

AFP reported that a local security official said that the US drone strike had killed three militants and wounded two more, while @Sada_Aden tweeted that two were killed in the “American raid”.

Meanwhile, Xinhua reported that “10 Al Qaeda militants were killed and dozens of others were injured” on the evening of September 7th when a US drone struck “several targets” in Abyan.

Xinhua said that Predator drones “bombed an abandoned hotel and a primary school on the eastern outskirts of Jaar city” in Abyan, and that local residents in Jaar said that dozens of families have fled to nearby provinces of Aden and Lahj, “fearing renewed botched air strikes by the Yemeni air forces and the US drones”.

The incident occured in the evening.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3–10
  • Belligerents reported injured
    2–24

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Mahfed (المحفد), for which the generic coordinates are: 14.059345, 46.915427. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3–10
  • Belligerents reported injured
    2–24

Sources (10) [ 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]