{"id":61102,"date":"2015-06-02T09:05:01","date_gmt":"2015-06-02T09:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/?post_type=news_and_analysis&#038;p=61102"},"modified":"2020-02-24T14:59:11","modified_gmt":"2020-02-24T14:59:11","slug":"monthly-drone-report-may-2015-us-strikes-kill-at-least-48-in-three-countries","status":"publish","type":"news_and_analysis","link":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/news\/monthly-drone-report-may-2015-us-strikes-kill-at-least-48-in-three-countries\/","title":{"rendered":"Monthly drone report, May 2015: US strikes kill at least 48 in three countries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>A US helicopter ferrying military advisers over Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, where US aircraft killed at least 34 this month (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.defense.gov\/PhotoEssays\/PhotoEssaySS.aspx?ID=6052\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">USAF<\/a>)<br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>EXECUTIVE SUMMARY<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em>i. Key points:<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A Pew Research Center poll finds strong support in the US for drone strikes<\/li>\n<li>Three US strikes kill at least 34 in Afghanistan<\/li>\n<li>The US continues to bomb Yemen in the midst of a brutal civil war<\/li>\n<li>British drones flew 301 missions over Iraq from September to the end of March<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em>ii. The Bureau\u2019s numbers:<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Recorded US drone strikes to date<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<table border=\"3\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Pakistan<\/em><br \/><em>(June 2004 to date)<strong><br \/><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Yemen<\/p>\n<p>(Nov 2002 to date)*<\/em><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Somalia<\/p>\n<p>(Jan 2007 to date)*<\/em><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Afghanistan<\/p>\n<p>(Jan 2015 to date)<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>US drone strikes<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>417<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>97-117<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>9-13<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>5<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Total reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>2,456-3,962<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>453-673<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>23-105<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>49-55<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Civilians reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>423-962<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>65-97<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0-5<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Children reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>172-207<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>8-9<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Reported injured<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>1,148-1,727<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>88-217<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>2-7<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>1<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Recorded US air and cruise missile strikes to date<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<table border=\"3\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Pakistan<\/em><br \/><em>(June 2004 to date)<strong>**<br \/><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Yemen<\/em><br \/><em>(Nov 2002 to date)<strong>*<br \/><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Somalia<\/em><br \/><em>(Jan 2007 to date)<strong>*<br \/><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Afghanistan<\/em><br \/><em>(Jan 2015 to date)<strong><br \/><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>US air &amp; cruise missile strikes<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>N\/A<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>15-72<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>8-11<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>4<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Total reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>N\/A<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>156-365<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>40-141<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>29-36<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Civilians reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>N\/A<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>68-99<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>7-47<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Children reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>N\/A<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>26-28<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0-2<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>People reported injured<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>N\/A<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>15-102<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>11-21<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>* <em>The Bureau\u2019s estimates are based predominantly on open sources information such as media reports. Sometimes it is not possible to reconcile details in different reports. This is why use ranges for our record of casualties and, in the case of Yemen and Somalia, our strike tallies.<br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<p>**<em> The US has only carried out drone strikes in Pakistan.<br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em>iii. Bureau analysis for May 2015:<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A new poll this month shows the American drone campaign continues to enjoy popular support in the US as seven strikes reportedly kill 48-56 people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Pew Research Center poll, 58% of respondents approve of \u201cUS drone strikes to target extremists\u201d with 35% who disapprove. Nearly half, 48%, are very concerned US drone attacks endanger the lives of innocent civilians.<\/p>\n<p>The research was carried out over seven days from May 12, 19 days after President Obama told the nation drones had killed Warren Weinstein, a US civilian, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian civilian.<\/p>\n<p>It is not clear how intense media coverage of the deaths of Weinstein and Lo Porto, and the drone war in general, affected what respondents said. However support for drones appears to have grown slightly since Pew last polled on the matter, up from 56% in February 2013.<\/p>\n<p>In fact concern about civilian casualties seems to have fallen \u2013 53% of the 2013 poll respondents said they were very concerned drones \u201cendanger civilian lives\u201d. It is not a direct comparison: Pew polled fewer people in February 2013 than in May 2015, and did not poll Alaska or Hawaii.<\/p>\n<p>Also in May, the British government released data on anti-Islamic State air operations showing the Royal Air Force flew <a href=\"..\/2015-05-15\/revealed-britain-has-flown-301-reaper-drone-missions-against-isis-in-iraq-firing-at-least-102-missiles.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">301 Reaper drone missions<\/a> over Iraq between the start of\u00a0UK operations against Isis last September and the end of March.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/dronewars.net\/2015\/05\/15\/new-figures-for-british-air-and-drone-strikes-in-iraq\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">numbers were obtained by the Drone Wars UK<\/a> organisation, which showed the British Reaper drones fired 102 Hellfire missiles on 87 separate occasions.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>MONTHLY REPORT BY COUNTRY<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong id=\"Pakistan\">1. Pakistan<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Get the Data - Google.com\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1NAfjFonM-Tn7fziqiv33HlGt09wgLZDSCP-BQaux51w\/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>The Bureau\u2019s complete Pakistan data set is available to download as a spreadsheet.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<table border=\"3\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"4\">\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Pakistan: CIA drone strikes<\/h5>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><em>All strikes, May 2015<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>All strikes, 2015 to date<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>All strikes, 2004 to date<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>CIA drone strikes<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>2<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>9<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>417<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Total reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>7-13<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>40-58<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>2,456-3,962<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Civilians reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>2<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>423-962<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Children reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>172-207<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Total reported injured<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>15-21<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>1,148-1,727<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>CIA drone strikes continued in Pakistan. The <a href=\"..\/..\/drone-war\/data\/obama-2015-pakistan-drone-strikes.html#Ob365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">first of two strikes killed 4-7<\/a> people on May 16, ending a 34 day pause. The attack hit a domestic compound reportedly being used by the Pakistan Taliban. There were no named dead though both Pakistanis and foreigners were killed, according to anonymous Pakistani officials.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"..\/..\/drone-war\/data\/obama-2015-pakistan-drone-strikes.html#Ob366\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">second strike hit on May 18<\/a>, hours after the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the first attack. It released a statement repeating its \u201ccall for a cessation of such strikes,\u201d describing them as counter-productive. The second attack reportedly killed 3-6 people, none of them identified, when it hit a domestic compound and possibly a vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>The two strikes in May represent a slight increase from the solitary strikes that reportedly hit Pakistan in March and April. It is below the <a href=\"..\/..\/drone-war\/data\/obama-2015-pakistan-drone-strikes.html#Ob358\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">intense period in January<\/a> when five attacks killed 26-38 people, the highest number of people killed per strike since August 2014.<\/p>\n<p>Both attacks hit in the Shawal area \u2013 a forested region of steep valleys that straddles the North and South Waziristan as well as the Pakistan and Afghanistan border. Several armed groups reportedly have long established strongholds there because of its location and inhospitable terrain. Seven of the nine strikes so far this year have reportedly hit within the Shawal.<\/p>\n<p>The Pakistan military was this month reportedly preparing to send troops into the Shawal, 11 months after it began its ongoing military operation in North Waziristan. The scale and progress of this push into the Shawal were unclear, <a title=\"Reuters\" href=\"http:\/\/uk.reuters.com\/article\/2015\/05\/19\/uk-pakistan-drones-idUKKBN0O40HP20150519\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Reuters reported<\/a>. The area was said to be off limits to journalists with roads blocked and telephone cables cut.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong id=\"Afghanistan\">2. Afghanistan<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>The Bureau has yet to publish its Afghanistan data in a downloadable form. <a title=\"Get the data: A list of US air and drone strikes, Afghanistan 2015 - TBIJ.com\" href=\"..\/..\/drone-war\/data\/get-the-data-a-list-of-us-air-and-drone-strikes-afghanistan-2015.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The full timeline of strikes is available here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<table border=\"3\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"3\">\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Afghanistan: confirmed US drone and air strikes<\/h5>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><em>All strikes, May 2015<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>All strikes, 2015 to date<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>All US strikes<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>3<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>9<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Total reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>34<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>78-91<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Civilians reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Children reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Total reported injured<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>1<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Three confirmed US strikes killed 34 people in May \u2013 almost half the total number of people reported killed since January and the most in a single month this year, according to available reporting.<\/p>\n<p>This increase in casualties came as Taliban attacks battered the Afghan army and police across the country. The insurgents continued to battle with Afghan forces around the capital of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/worldnews\/asia\/afghanistan\/11589620\/Afghan-troops-fight-Taliban-to-hold-on-to-key-city.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">northern Kunduz province<\/a>, in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.janes.com\/article\/51750\/taliban-launches-attacks-in-northern-helmand\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Helmand in the south<\/a>, and even <a href=\"http:\/\/www.enca.com\/world\/afghan-insurgents-launch-late-night-attack-kabul-guesthouse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in Kabul<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The confirmed US attacks all hit Nangarhar province and all reportedly killed named, alleged Taliban commanders.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"..\/..\/drone-war\/data\/get-the-data-a-list-of-us-air-and-drone-strikes-afghanistan-2015.html#AFG015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">first killed 17 people on May 4<\/a>. This was the highest reported death toll from a single strike since 18 were killed on <a href=\"..\/..\/drone-war\/data\/get-the-data-a-list-of-us-air-and-drone-strikes-afghanistan-2015.html#AFG001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 3<\/a>. The provincial police spokesman said: \u201cA Taliban commander named <strong>Mullah Daoud<\/strong> is among the dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A local resident <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pajhwok.com\/en\/2015\/05\/05\/17-rebels-dead-nangarhar-drone-strikes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told Afghan news service Pajhwok<\/a> two strikes hit in quick succession. \u201cSoon after the first attack, rebels came to collect bodies of their colleagues when [the rescuers] came under another attack,\u201d he said. If true, this could demonstrate the continuation of a controversial tactic used by the CIA in Pakistan of deliberately targeting rescuers, <a href=\"..\/2012-02-04\/cia-tactics-in-pakistan-include-targeting-rescuers-and-funerals.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">first exposed by the Bureau in 2012<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The second <a href=\"..\/..\/drone-war\/data\/get-the-data-a-list-of-us-air-and-drone-strikes-afghanistan-2015.html#AFG018\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">confirmed US attack on May 9<\/a> killed 13 including <strong>Gul Agha<\/strong>, reportedly the Taliban\u2019s shadow governor in the province. He had been put on a US government sanctions list in 2010, described as \u201cthe head of the Taliban\u2019s financial commission and is part of a recently-created Taliban council that coordinates the collection of zakat [tithe] from Baluchistan Province, Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The third US attack <a href=\"..\/..\/drone-war\/data\/get-the-data-a-list-of-us-air-and-drone-strikes-afghanistan-2015.html#AFG019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">killed four people on May 14<\/a> including Taliban commander <strong>Muslahuddin<\/strong>. A US military spokesman told the Bureau the US carried out the three Nangarhar strikes but said he was \u201c<span class=\"il\">not<\/span> <span class=\"il\">going<\/span> <span class=\"il\">to<\/span> <span class=\"il\">discuss<\/span> <span class=\"il\">the<\/span> <span class=\"il\">details<\/span> of those strikes\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Ten other air strikes that killed 37-75 people were reported in Afghanistan this month. All were described as US attacks but the Bureau has not yet been able to confirm that. The Bureau\u2019s data provides only a part of the whole picture. The US military publishes summary data each month but will not release information on individual strikes.<\/p>\n<p>The high number of confirmed and possible US attacks, and casualties, came as Taliban insurgents were reportedly fighting with Afghan forces in 10 provinces. \u201cThis is the worst fighting season in a decade,\u201d <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/news\/nationworld\/ct-bloody-battles-taliban-afghanistan-20150516-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according to analyst Attiqullah Amerkhil<\/a>. \u201cThere is now fighting in every part of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong id=\"Yemen\">3. Yemen<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Get the Data - Google.com\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1lb1hEYJ_omI8lSe33izwS2a2lbiygs0hTp2Al_Kz5KQ\/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>The Bureau\u2019s complete Yemen data set is available to download as a spreadsheet.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<table border=\"3\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"4\">\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Yemen: all confirmed US drone strikes<\/h5>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><em>All strikes, April 2015<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>All strikes, 2015 to date<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>All strikes, 2002 to date*<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>All US strikes<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>3<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>9-10<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>96-116<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Total reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>10-12<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>29-44<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>450-670<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Civilians reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>1-3<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>65-97<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Children reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>1-2<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>8-9<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Total reported injured<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>2<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>2<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>88-217<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>* All but one of these actions have taken place during <\/em><em>Obama\u2019s presidency. Reports of incidents in Yemen often conflate individual strikes. The range we have recorded in US drone strikes and covert operations reflects this.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>There were five reported US strikes in Yemen this month. However the Bureau has only been able to confirm three were US operations.<\/p>\n<p>The first confirmed US attack <a href=\"..\/..\/drone-war\/data\/yemen-reported-us-covert-actions-2015.html#YEM191\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">killed four men on May 11 in Mukalla<\/a>, the capital of the eastern province of Hadramout. The strike killed four al Qaeda members, identified as: <strong>Maamoun Hatem<\/strong>, <strong>Abu Anwar al Kutheiri<\/strong>, <strong>Mohammed Saleh al Gharabi<\/strong> and <strong>Mabkhout Waqash al Sayeri<\/strong>. Hatem (below) was reportedly among the more prominent supporters in Yemen of the Islamic State group.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\">\n<p>\u062a\u0645 \u0627\u0644\u062a\u0623\u0643\u062f \u0645\u0646 \u062e\u0628\u0631 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AE_%D9%85%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%88%D9%86_%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%85?src=hash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#\u0627\u0633\u062a\u0634\u0647\u0627\u062f_\u0627\u0644\u0634\u064a\u062e_\u0645\u0623\u0645\u0648\u0646_\u062d\u0627\u062a\u0645<\/a> \u0627\u0646 \u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0648\u0625\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u064a\u0647 \u0631\u0627\u062c\u0639\u0648\u0646 \u062a\u0642\u0628\u0644\u0643 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0641\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0641\u0631\u062f\u0648\u0633 <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/FGM1DEm3pr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/FGM1DEm3pr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \u062d\u0633\u0627\u0628 \u0645\u0639\u0637\u0644 (@tunisfallouja) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tunisfallouja\/status\/597828600801402880\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 11, 2015<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"..\/..\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The US has continued targeting al Qaeda in Yemen as a brutal civil war rages. The fighting between a complex mix of competing militias and factions halted for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2015\/05\/arab-coalition-resumes-yemen-air-strikes-truce-ends-150517214058987.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a five-day humanitarian ceasefire<\/a> at 11pm on May 12. The <a href=\"..\/..\/drone-war\/data\/yemen-reported-us-covert-actions-2015.html#YEM192\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">second US strike<\/a> killed three people in Shabwa province. It hit on May 16, the day before the ceasefire ended.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"..\/..\/drone-war\/data\/yemen-reported-us-covert-actions-2015.html#YEM193\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">third US attack killed 3-5<\/a> in the southern province of Shabwa on May 22. Local officials, tribal sources and security officials said US drones destroyed a vehicle in the province, killing several al Qaeda members. The two further possible US strikes all reportedly hit in Shabwa province as well.<\/p>\n<p>On May 27 Saudi air strikes across the border in northern Yemen and in Sanaa killed at least 80 people, the deadliest day of bombing since the strikes began in March, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2015\/05\/27\/us-yemen-security-port-idUSKBN0OC0MT20150527\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according to Reuters<\/a>. Forty people were reportedly killed in strikes in the Hajjah province, most of them civilians according to local sources. Forty more were reportedly killed in strikes in Sanaa a few hours later.<\/p>\n<p>The months of bombing, shelling and street battles mean Yemen\u2019s key infrastructure has been smashed. Food is in short supply, airport runways have been bombed, and a fuel shortage has stopped many water pumps from working.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe infrastructure, health, all the other vital services people need, they\u2019re in a state of collapse,\u201d according to the director of operations at the <a href=\"http:\/\/reliefweb.int\/report\/yemen\/what-humanitarian-pause-and-what-does-it-mean-yemen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">UN\u2019s Organisation for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs<\/a>. \u201cThe ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] has been describing the situation as catastrophic and I think that is about the best word to describe the plight of the Yemeni people right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The UN estimates nearly 2,000 people have died since the conflict began. There are 1,037 civilians reportedly among the dead, including 234 children and 134 women.<\/p>\n<p>Also this month, three Yemeni men brought an unprecedented case against the German government in a court in Cologne. The men, relatives of two men killed in an August 2012 drone strike, \u201ccalled upon the German government to accept legal and political responsibility for the US drone war in Yemen and to prohibit the use of Ramstein,\u201d according to their lawyers.<\/p>\n<p>Ramstein is a US air base in Germany which is a key hub in the network controlling US drones over Asia and the Middle East. It acts as a relay station, sending information it receives in real time via undersea cables from the US, directly to satellites and on to the drones. <a href=\"http:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/International\/wireStory\/yemenis-sue-german-government-us-drone-strike-31330730\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Their first attempt was defeated,<\/a> however the men were given leave to appeal the decision.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong id=\"Somalia\">4. Somalia<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Get the Data - Google.com\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1-LT5TVBMy1Rj2WH30xQG9nqr8-RXFVvzJE_47NlpeSY\/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>The Bureau\u2019s complete Somalia data set is available to download as a spreadsheet.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<table border=\"3\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"4\">\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Somalia: all US drone strikes<\/h5>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><em>All strikes, May 2015<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>All strikes, 2015 to date<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>All strikes, 2007 to date<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>All US strikes<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>2-3<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>9-13<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Total reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>5-72<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>23-105<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Civilians reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0-4<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0-5<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Children reported killed<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Total reported injured<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>2-7<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There were no reported US strikes in Somalia for the second month running. However an al Shabaab commander died of natural causes this month having at least twice survived US attacks.<\/p>\n<p>Ethiopian<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2015-05-28\/al-shabaab-leader-linked-to-al-qaeda-dies-in-southern-somalia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong> Hasan al Turki<\/strong>, 73, died after a long illness<\/a>, al Shabaab reported. He met <strong>Osama Bin Laden<\/strong> in the mountains of Afghanistan and in Sudan, al Shabaab\u2019s spokesman <strong>Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rageh<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n<p>Al Turki (below) was added to the US Treasury Department al Qaeda sanctions list in 2001 and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.un.org\/sc\/committees\/1267\/NSQDi172E.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">UN Security Council\u2019s al Qaeda list<\/a> in 2004.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p>Sheikh Hassan Al-Turki was ex-military colonel in the army, ex-Al-Itihad and co-founder of Raskamboni &amp; Hisbul Islam. <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/fuTN22lThR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/fuTN22lThR<\/a> \u2014 Harun Maruf (@HarunMaruf) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HarunMaruf\/status\/603783597204611073\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 28, 2015<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>On January 23 2007 the US killed eight people, possibly including civilians, in an AC-130 gunship attack. It was meant to kill al Turki, then a deputy leader of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), as well as Ahmed Madobe a fellow ICU leader. The US reportedly missed al Turki again on March 3 2008 with a cruise missile fired from a US warship. Al Turki was then leader of the Ras Kamboni Brigades, an Islamist insurgent group in southern Somalia that merged with al Shabaab in 2010.<\/p>\n<p>Also this month, al Shabaab continued to demonstrate it is a dangerous enemy for both the Somali and Kenyan governments.<\/p>\n<p>John Kerry was the first US secretary of state to visit Somalia on May 5. He spent <a href=\"http:\/\/somalianewsroom.com\/2015\/05\/06\/key-takeaways-from-u-s-secretary-of-state-john-kerrys-visit-to-somalia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three hours in the highly fortified diplomatic enclave<\/a> near Mogadishu\u2019s airport before flying back into Kenya. The next day Abdifatah Barre, the deputy district commissioner of Mogadishu\u2019s Wadajir district, was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibtimes.co.uk\/somalia-al-shabaab-kills-government-official-mogadishu-vows-more-attacks-against-enemies-1499929\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">murdered by al Shabaab<\/a> on the streets of the capital.<\/p>\n<p>On <a href=\"http:\/\/uk.reuters.com\/article\/2015\/05\/23\/uk-somalia-security-idUKKBN0O80DO20150523\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 23 fighting between al Shabaab<\/a> and government forces reportedly left at least 24 people dead in southern Somalia. Four people were also shot dead in Mogadishu by al Shabaab, including a parliamentarian.<\/p>\n<p>In Kenya, al Shabaab took control of a village on May 21 for several hours. The group forced the villagers to the mosque where they <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-africa-32826758\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">preached at them for two hours<\/a> before leaving. It attacked a second village the next day, also in Garissa Count. Al Shabaab said it <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2015\/05\/al-shabab-kenya-yumbis-garissa-150522071633531.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">took control of Yumbis village for eight hours<\/a> though the Kenyan interior ministry claimed its forces had successfully repelled the attack. A local resident told al Jazeera masked al Shabaab fighters had planted their black flag throughout the village.<\/p>\n<p>The following week al Shabaab gunmen <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2015\/05\/26\/us-kenya-attacks-idUSKBN0OB0BV20150526\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">attacked two police patrols in Garissa<\/a>, triggering a gun battle that the armed group claimed left 25 Kenyans dead. The police said one of its men had been killed. The instability in Garissa forced Medecin Sans Frontier (MSF) to evacuate a third of its staff from Dadaab, the world\u2019s largest refugee camp. It sits near the Somali border and is home to thousands of ethnic Somalis. MSF said it was forced to close two of its four health posts there and suspend its ante-natal work entirely.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Follow our drones team <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/jackserle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jack Serle<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AbbieFS%E2%80%9D%20target=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Abigail Fielding-Smith<\/a> on Twitter.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Sign up for <a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/fbDao\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">monthly updates<\/a> from the Bureau\u2019s Covert War project, <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/drone-news-from-tbij\/id751041919\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">subscribe to our podcast<\/a> Drone News, and follow <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/DroneReads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drone Reads<\/a> on Twitter to see what our team is reading.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":61101,"template":"","tags":[477,471,470,478,480],"country":[469,437,436,435],"belligerent":[430],"authors":[569],"class_list":["post-61102","news_and_analysis","type-news_and_analysis","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-drone-warfare","tag-stories","tag-tbij-covert-drone-wars-archive","tag-us-civilian-harm","tag-us-transparency","country-afghanistan","country-pakistan","country-somalia","country-yemen","belligerent-us-forces","authors-jack-serle"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_and_analysis\/61102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_and_analysis"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news_and_analysis"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61102"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=61102"},{"taxonomy":"belligerent","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/belligerent?post=61102"},{"taxonomy":"authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/authors?post=61102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}