An alleged US or Yemeni airstrike, naval bombardment, or drone strike killed 10 militants in an Al Qaeda hideout 70 kilometers away from Zinjibar in Shaqra, a southern town in the province of Abyan. There are currently no reports of civilian harm.

The Associated Press reported Yemeni warplanes bombed an Al Qaeda hideout 70km from Zinjibar, killing at least 10 militants, and that this is one of multiple strikes that occurred on the same day, allegedly killing a total of 16 militants stated in this incident and USYEM080-B. The Defense Ministry corroborated this total death toll on their website 26Sep.net. AFP reports that two of the alleged militants killed were from Saudi Arabia and one was Egyptian.

Due to the telephone lines being cut, AFP could not verify the death toll.

American drones have been involved in the campaign against Al Qaeda making it unclear whether the strike was carried out by Yemen or the US. Agence France-Press noted that the strikes against militants were undertaken with “U.S. logistical support”. Aden al-Ghad reported that US drones and missiles were launched in the area of Abyan from warships against prominent Al Qaeda leaders, specifying that a “one of the rockets landed at a checkpoint of the armed groups located at the top of Jabal Al-Arqoub, but there was no information about casualties”, although it is unclear if that references any of the incidents Airwars tracked on this day. It is therefore unclear whether the attack was an airstrike, naval bombardment or a drone strike.

A militant leader named al-Muhajir was named as one of the militants killed later on but it is unclear whether he perished in this incident or in USYEM080-B.

The incident occured in the afternoon.

According to local Yemen officials, three areas in Zinjibar were struck by alleged US drone strikes or Yemeni military strikes, killing 29 to 30 Al Qaeda fighters and wounding dozens others on March 22, 2012.

The website Arab Monitor stated that “dozens” were wounded in the attacks, which targeted alleged Al Qaeda bases. No other sources specified how many militants were wounded in the strikes. Witnesses also said that a “warplane also fired a missile at three vehicles of the Al Qaeda group in downtown Zinjibar carrying foreign fighters”.

Associated Press reported that 29 militants had been killed in a “rocket and artillery barrage, spread out over a 24-hour period” which ended on the night of Thursday March 22nd.

Naval vessels also allegedly took part in the extended bombardment, which some sources claimed were the work of the US Navy. The Pentagon later said that: “No American warships from the service’s Fifth Fleet or elsewhere in the region were involved in those operations.”

Akhbarelyoum reported that Yemeni military officials said that the strikes were carried out by the Yemeni Navy from boats in the Arabian Sea, and killed 29 Al Qaeda militants.

Xinhua reported that the strike was carried out by a U.S. drone, and killed “at least 30 fighters.” The source reported that the strike hit “two positions in Zinjibar city” as well as three vehicles in downtown Zinjibar. The source reported that the strike followed the suspected Al Qaeda killing of a Yemeni military officer.

Arab Monitor reported that US drones carried out the strike, and killed at least 30 people. This source also reported that both static positions and vehicles were struck. The vehicles were reported to be driving through the city centre. The source also stated that the strikes followed a killing of a “senior Yemeni Intelligence officer” the day before by armed fighters.

@Albaidanews tweeted that Ansar al-Sharia, the group that includes Al Qaeda’s arm in Yemen, denied that any fighters were killed in the strike.

While Arab Monitor reported that the strikes were carried out by US drones, Akhbarelyoum identified the Yemeni Navy as being responsible for the bombardment. The Associated Press put the death toll at 29 Al Qaeda fighters, while Xinhua reported 30 fighters killed. No source reported any civilian harm.

The local time of the incident is unknown.