Drone Strikes in Yemen

[TruthSeeker]

US drone strike kills 2 AQAP fighters in central Yemen

By BILL ROGGIO, May 19, 2012

The US killed two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in a drone airstrike in central Yemen yesterday as fighting for control of major towns and cities in the south heats up.

The unmanned Predators or the more heavily armed Reapers struck a convoy in the central province of Baydah yesterday afternoon, killing a Yemeni and a Somali fighter, according to AFP. The identities of those killed have not been disclosed, and AQAP has not released a statement confirming or denying the deaths.

Somali fighters from Shabaab are reported to have entered Yemen to support al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and its political front, Ansar al Sharia, as AQAP attempts to consolidate control in the south and fight the military. On April 11, Yemeni officials claimed that Somalis, Saudis, and Pakistanis were among those killed during fighting in Lawdar in Abyan province. And on April 21, the military claimed that 10 Saudi and three Somali fighters were killed while fighting in Abyan.

Baydah province is known to have an AQAP presence. The terror group seized control of Rada'a in Baydah in January but later withdrew after negotiating a peace agreement with the local government.

The Yemeni government has launched a major offensive designed to clear AQAP from the larger cities and towns in southern Yemen. Hundreds of civilians, AQAP fighters, and Yemeni troops have been killed during fighting over the past week. Yemeni troops have clashed with AQAP fighters outside of Lawdar, and claimed to have ejected the terror group from the city. Yemeni troops are also engaged in fighting with AQAP fighters outside of Jaar, and officials have said they expect to defeat AQAP there within days. Heavy fighting has been reported in Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, which has been under AQAP control for one year.


Read more: US drone strike kills 2 AQAP fighters in central Yemen - The Long War Journal

 

[Banu Umayyah]

Yes, and you can thank French special forces for saving the Great Mosques of Makkah from desecration and destruction in 1979 (Grand Mosque Seizure - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Allah works in mysterious ways. In this case Allah has blessed the kuffar drones that strike the takfiris in Yemen. The USA drones are Allah's will.

The French role was only advisory, they did't participate in any combat.

 

[TruthSeeker]

US drones target local AQAP leaders in Yemen

By BILL ROGGIO, May 28, 2012

The US targeted two local leaders of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in the central province of Baydah today. The AQAP leaders survived the strike, but five fighters are reported to have been killed.

Today's drone strike, the ninth by the US in Yemen this month, targeted Kaid al Dhahab, AQAP's emir in the province of Baydah, and his brother Nabil, who is also a senior leader in the terror group, according to The Yemen Post.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers targeted Kaid and Nabil as they were traveling in a convoy in Rada'a, a city in Baydah that was under AQAP control earlier this year. The drones killed five AQAP fighters and wounded four more, according to The Associated Press. US intelligence officials told The Long War Journal that Kaid was the target of the strike.

Kaid took control of AQAP in Baydah after his brother, Tariq, was killed in February by another brother, Hazam, a senior tribal leader in the town who was concerned that Tariq's affiliation with AQAP would incur the wrath of the Yemeni government. Before he was killed, Tariq had seized control of Baydah, raised al Qaeda's banner, sworn allegiance to Ayman al Zawahiri, and warned that "the Islamic Caliphate is coming."

Kaid and Nabil were tasked with regrouping AQAP's forces in Baydah after Tariq's death. The two leaders are also the brothers-in-law of slain AQAP leader and ideologue Anwar al Awlaki.

Read more: US drones target local AQAP leaders in Yemen - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

Zarqawi's nephew killed in Yemen drone strike

By BILL ROGGIO, June 23, 2012

A Jordanian member of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula who was the nephew of former al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi was killed in a drone strike earlier this year, according to a martyrdom statement that was released by a jihadist.

A jihadist close to Muhammad Fazi al Harasheh, who was also known as Abu Hammam al Zarqawi, released the martyrdom statement on the al Qaeda-linked Ansar al Mujahideen forum on June 20. The statement was translated by the SITE Intelligence Group.

The date and location of Abu Hammam's death were not disclosed. He was initially reported to have been killed in a landmine attack, in a statement released on jihadist forums on May 8, according to SITE. The US is known to have conducted 13 drone strikes in southern Yemen between the beginning of April and the date his death was announced. Three of those strikes took place in Abyan province, where Abu Hammam was known to operate.

According to the jihadist, "spies" aided in the killing of Abu Hammam in a drone strike as he traveled in a vehicle.

"They were unable to kill him in the battles, so they sent spies to guide them to him," the statement said. "A drone came to bomb the car in which he and one of the brother were riding, and so his pure soul went to its maker."

Abu Hammam traveled to Yemen sometime last year and "entered the ranks of the mujahideen at the end of 2011." He "pledged allegiance to Sheikh Nasir al Wuhayshi," the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and its political front, Ansar al Sharia. Wuhayshi served as Osama bin Laden's aide de camp prior to traveling to Yemen to wage jihad.

The jihadist who wrote the martyrdom statement described Abu Hammam as "one of the hardest mujahideen on the enemies of Allah," who earned the nickname the "Lion of Zinjibar." According to other fighters, Abu Hammam "killed more than 26 apostates from the vagrants of America, and ... he slaughtered number 26 like a sheep."

Read more: Zarqawi's nephew killed in Yemen drone strike - The Long War Journal

 

[bouncing betty]

Is than an agreement with the Yemen government or is it a violation of International law.

An agreement with Yemen, just like the one the U.S. has with Pakistan. Except Pakistan can't admit it because they have too many 'people' that will....... well, we know what they'll do if they find out.

 

[TruthSeeker]

4 AQAP fighters killed in drone strike in southern Yemen

By BILL ROGGIO, July 3, 2012

The US killed four people, including two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters, in a drone airstrike in southern Yemen.

The unmanned Predators or Reapers fired missiles at a vehicle in Shabwa province earlier today, The Associated Press. Two of the men were identified as Hussein Rubai and Fahad al Harithi, and "were known for ties to al Qaeda and provided shelter for militants."

No senior AQAP leaders or operatives are reported to have been killed in the strike.

Today's drone strike took place after the Yemeni military claimed it broke up three AQAP cells planning to conduct attacks against foreign embassies and government personnel. The military said that "four Egyptians, two Jordanians, a Somali, a Tunisian, and a man from Dagestan in Russia's North Caucasus" were among those arrested, according to Reuters.

Foreign fighters have been killed in Yemen in the past, This year, two Jordanians, including Abu Hammam, the nephew of slain al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi, were killed in drone strikes.

US strikes in Yemen

Today's strike is the first recorded in Yemen this month. The last confirmed strike took place on June 25, in Aden province. An AQAP commander and two fighters were reported to have been killed. Other recent airstrikes are believed to have been carried out by the US also, but little evidence has emerged to directly link the attacks to the US.

The US is known to have carried out 25 airstrikes against AQAP in Yemen so far this year; one in January, six in March, six more in April, nine in May, two in June, and at least one this month.


Read more: 4 AQAP fighters killed in drone strike in southern Yemen - The Long War Journal

 

[swathi]

US should increase drone attacks on yemen as threat from aqap grows.

 

[TruthSeeker]

US drone strike kills 5 AQAP fighters in eastern Yemen

By BILL ROGGIO, August 4, 2012

The US killed five al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in a drone airstrike in eastern Yemen. The strike is the first in Yemen in more than a month.

The unmanned Predators or Reapers fired a pair of missiles at a vehicle in Al Qotn in Hadramout province earlier today, AFP reported. Five AQAP fighters were killed in the strike.

No senior AQAP leaders or operatives are reported to have been killed in the strike. The identities of those killed have not been disclosed.

As the US drones were hunting AQAP fighters in Hadramout, the terror group killed 20 people and wounded 20 more in a suicide attack at a funeral in the city of Jaar in Abyan province. The funeral was being held for a member of a pro-government militia that supported military operations against AQAP in Jaar, according to the BBC.

US strikes in Yemen

Today's strike is the first recorded in Yemen in more than a month. The last confirmed strike took place on July 3, in Shabwa province. Two known AQAP operatives were killed in the July 3 strike.

Other recent airstrikes are believed to have been carried out by the US also, but little evidence has emerged to directly link the attacks to the US.

The US is known to have carried out 26 airstrikes against AQAP in Yemen so far this year; one in January, six in March, six more in April, nine in May, two in June, one in July, and at least one this month.

Read more: US drone strike kills 5 AQAP fighters in eastern Yemen - The Long War Journal

 

[Solomon2]

It's fascinating to contrast the Pakistani and Yemeni approaches to the drone strikes. Pakistan claims they are a violation of sovereignty whereas Yemen claims their own air force is doing the deed. Between the two types of denial Yemen's appears to be less principled but more constructive.

 

[TruthSeeker]

US kills AQAP bombmaker, 9 fighters in pair of strikes in Yemen

By BILL ROGGIO, August 7, 2012

The US launched two drone strikes against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen today, killing a senior bombmaker and nine other fighters. The US has now conducted three strikes in Yemen in the past four days. Meanwhile, jihadists named one of the AQAP fighters killed in Saturday's drone strike.

In the first strike, the unmanned Predators or Reapers fired several missiles at two vehicles traveling in the town of Rawdah in Baydah province, The Associated Press reported. Yemeni officials said that Abdullah Awad al Masri, a wanted bombmaker who is also known as Abou Osama al Maribi, was killed in the strike. It is unclear if he is a Yemeni, however, as his surname, al Masri, indicates he is an Egyptian.

Two Egyptians, a Tunisian, a Saudi, and a Bahraini were among the seven AQAP fighters killed in the strike. Their identities have not been disclosed.

In the second strike, a drone killed three AQAP fighters as they were traveling in a vehicle in the Zoukaika region of Hadramout province. The identities of those killed have not been disclosed.

Today's strikes follow another on Aug. 4, which also took place in Hadramout. Five AQAP fighters were killed in the strike. Jihadists said that Abu al Bara'a al Saya'ari was one of those killed, according to a statement that was released on Internet forums and was translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. Al Saya'ari's role in AQAP was not disclosed; the jihadists said he was the driver of the car.

Read more: US kills AQAP bombmaker, 9 fighters in pair of strikes in Yemen - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

U.S. drone strike kills 8 suspected militants: Yemeni officials

ADEN/SANAA | Fri Aug 31, 2012 3:13pm EDT

(Reuters) - Eight Islamist militants were killed by a U.S. drone strike on Friday in a remote part of Hadramout, a Yemeni official said, the third such strike in the eastern Yemeni province this week.

Yemen's defense ministry said on its website that eight al Qaeda members were killed in an air strike on their vehicle in the isolated, desert district of Hawra. The local official, who declined to be named, said it was a drone strike.

The men were heavily armed, carrying machine-guns and explosives, the ministry said. The local official said the men were thought to have been on the way to carry out an attack.

It was not possible to verify the details independently given the remoteness of the region.

Washington, which fears the spread of militants in Yemen, has stepped up attacks by unmanned aircraft this year.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is based in Yemen and has mounted operations in neighboring Saudi Arabia as well as attempting to launch attacks against the United States.

At least six suspected Islamist militants have been killed in air strikes apparently carried out by drones since Tuesday.

In a statement issued on Friday, a group of clerics and preachers from southern Yemen said one of their members had been killed in one of the recent U.S. drone attacks.

"Among the four killed in an attack launched by a U.S. aircraft in the al-Qatn district of Hadramout on Wednesday was one of our members, Salem bin Ahmed bin Ali Jaber, who had no link to al Qaeda," the Union of Clerics and Preachers of Yemen's Southern Provinces said in a statement.

"He was known for his moderate ... approach that was far from being excessively strict."

The impoverished Arabian Peninsula state has been in turmoil since an uprising last year which eventually forced veteran ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in February.

Islamist militants gained ground during the unrest, taking control of several towns in south Yemen.

The army, with backing from the United States, has forced them out of some areas this year but they have hit back with a series of suicide bombings targeting government institutions.

On Thursday, a Yemeni intelligence officer was killed on the street in the capital Sanaa by a gunman shooting from a motorbike. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.

(Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf and Mohamed Ghobari; Writing by Raissa Kasolowsky; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

U.S. drone strike kills 8 suspected militants: Yemeni officials | Reuters

US drone strike kills AQAP operative involved in Limburg tanker attack

By BILL ROGGIO, September 2, 2012

The US killed a wanted al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operative who was involved in the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker was killed in Friday's drone strike. Also, the US launched another strike today in Yemen, killing five suspected AQAP fighters.

Yemen's Defense Ministry said that Khaled Batis was one of eight terrorists killed on Aug. 31 when unmanned Predators or Reapers fired several missiles at a car as it traveled in the Hawra district in Hadramout province.

Batis is considered to be the mastermind of the 2002 attack on the French-flagged Limburg, an oil tanker that was transporting crude to Malaysia. The Limburg was struck by a small boat laden with explosive rammed into the ship. A Bulgarian crew member was killed and 12 others were wounded in the attack. He was in Yemeni custody but escaped from prison last year, according to Reuters.

Batis is the second AQAP operative involved int he Limburg attack to have been killed in a drone strike this year. On Jan. 31, US drones killed Abdul Mun'im Salim al Fatahani near the city of Lawdar in Abyan province. Fatahani was involved in the Limburg attack as well as the suicide attack on the USS Cole in 2000. AQAP said that Fatahani had fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

US drone strike in Rada'a

As Batis' death was announced, the US also launched another strike against AQAP in Yemen. Today's strike killed five suspected AQAP fighters as they traveled in the town of Rada'a, a city in Baydah province that was under AQAP control earlier this year, Reuters reported.

The exact target of today's strike has not been disclosed; no senior AQAP leaders have been reported killed in the attack.

The US targeted Kaid al Dhahab, AQAP's emir in the province of Baydah, and his brother Nabil, who is also a senior leader in the terror group, in a strike in Rada'a on May 28.

Read more: US drone strike kills AQAP operative involved in Limburg tanker attack - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

6 'Islamist militants' killed in US drone strike in Yemen

By BILL ROGGIO, September 5, 2012

US drones struck yet again in Yemen's eastern province of Hadramout today, killing six "Islamist militants" in a strike on a compound. Today's strike is the fourth in Yemen in eight days.

The unmanned Predators or Reapers fired eight missiles at a compound in the Wadi al Ain area of Hadramout province, killing six al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives, Yemeni officials told Reuters.

The exact target of today's strike has not been disclosed; no senior AQAP leaders have been reported killed in the attack. The large number of missiles fired at the target indicates the US was hunting a senior AQAP leader or an important operative.

The strike is the second this month. On Sept. 2, US drones killed 13 civilians in a failed strike that targeted a vehicle transporting AQAP fighters in Rada'a in Baydah province.

US drones have zeroed in on Hadramout province over the past month. Of the seven strikes that have been recorded since the beginning of August, five have taken place in the eastern province. On Aug. 31, US drones killed eight AQAP fighters in a strike on a vehicle in the province. On Aug. 29, two AQAP fighters, including a Saudi "militant," were reported killed in Hadramout. On Aug. 7, the US carried out two strikes in Yemen. Yemeni officials said that Abdullah Awad al Masri, a wanted bombmaker who is also known as Abou Osama al Maribi, was killed in one of the strikes in Hadramout that also killed two Egyptians, a Tunisian, a Saudi, and a Bahraini. And on Aug. 4, the US conducted another airstrike in Hadramout province.

Read more: 6 'Islamist militants' killed in US drone strike in Yemen - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

AQAP deputy emir reported killed in recent drone strike

By BILL ROGGIO, September 10, 2012


Said al Shihri, from the second edition of Inspire, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's propaganda magazine, which was obtained by The Long War Journal.

The Yemeni military claimed that Said al Shihri, a former Guantanamo detainee and the current deputy emir of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was killed in a recent military operation in Hadramout province. The report has not been confirmed.

Al Shihri is said to have been killed in a military operation in the Wadi al Ain area of Hadramout province, according to SABA (Yemen News Agency), which referenced a report at the website of the Yemeni Ministry of Defense.

"A security official quoted by the ministry's website as saying that the military forces carried out an operation in Wadi Hadramout ended up with killing Saudi national "Saeed Ali al-Shihri" along with six other militants who were with him," SABA reported.

The Yemeni military took credit for the Sept. 2 airstrike in Hadramout that targeted a vehicle and is reported to have killed six AQAP fighters. However, the strike was carried out by the US's fleet of unmanned Predators and Reapers based in the area, a US intelligence official told The Long War Journal. US drones have zeroed in on Hadramout province over the past month. Of the seven recorded strikes since the beginning of August, five have taken place in the eastern province.

US officials have not commented on reports of al Shihri's death. AQAP has not released a martyrdom statement announcing his death. In the past, AQAP has announced the deaths of senior leaders quickly.

Al Shihri has been reported killed several times in the past. Most recently, In February 2011, he was rumored to have been killed while working with explosives. Al Shihri was also said to have been killed in a US cruise missile attack in December 2009. And in January 2010, Yemeni officials claimed that al Shihri was captured.

Shihri is a Saudi citizen who was detained by the US and transferred to Guantanamo Bay for his connections to al Qaeda. He had served as an "al Qaeda travel facilitator" in Mashad, Iran, where he would help al Qaeda operatives enter Afghanistan. He was also connected to the Saudi 'charity' al Wafa, which has been designated under Executive Order 13224 as a terrorist organization and is briefly mentioned in the 9/11 Commission's report as an al Qaeda front.

In November 2007, Shihri was released from Guantanamo and placed into Saudi custody, where he then entered a government-run rehabilitation program for former jihadists. Less than a year later, Shihri played a direct role in al Qaeda's attack on the American embassy in Sana'a, Yemen's capital, in September 2008. That attack killed 10 civilians, along with six terrorists.

In February 2009, when Al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia and Al Qaeda in Yemen merged to form Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Shihri was named as deputy to AQAP emir Nasir al Wuhayshi.

Read more: AQAP deputy emir reported killed in recent drone strike - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

US drone strike kills 4 al Qaeda 'militants' in southern Yemen

By BILL ROGGIO, October 4, 2012

US drones conducted their first strike against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in southern Yemen in nearly a month, killing four "militants."

The unmanned Predators or Reapers fired several missiles at a vehicle as it was traveling in the Maqbala area in Shabwa province, killing four "heavily armed" al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives, a Yemeni official and residents told Reuters. Two more "militants" were wounded and another escaped.

The exact target of today's strike has not been disclosed; no senior AQAP leaders have been reported killed in the attack.

The strike is the first recorded in Yemen since Sept. 5, when the unmanned warplanes launched eight missiles at a compound in the Wadi al Ain area of Hadramout province, killing six al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives. Said al Shihri, a former Guantanamo detainee and the current deputy emir of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was rumored to have been in the strike in Wadi al Ain, but the report was never confirmed. An unnamed Yemeni official said DNA tests concluded that al Shihri was not among those killed in the attack.

Today's strike takes place just six days after Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi praised the US drone strikes in Yemen during a speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

"They pinpoint the target and have zero margin of error, if you know what target you're aiming at," Hadi said, according to The New York Times.

Hadi confirmed what US intelligence officials have told The Long War Journal several times in the past: that the US conducted the nighttime strikes "because the Yemeni Air Force cannot carry out missions at night."

Read more: US drone strike kills 4 al Qaeda 'militants' in southern Yemen - The Long War Journal

 

[Banu Umayyah]

Today's strike takes place just six days after Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi praised the US drone strikes in Yemen during a speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

"They pinpoint the target and have zero margin of error, if you know what target you're aiming at," Hadi said, according to The New York Times.

What a pathetic president.
Zero margin of error?!
Tell that to the 100's of innocent Pakistani children who died from US drones. To the US, any adult male with an Ak and a beard is a terrorist, and Yemen is the 2nd country in the world by number of weapons per capita. They are fucked.