Drone Strikes in Yemen

[TruthSeeker]

US launches 1st drone strike in Yemen in 7 weeks

By BILL ROGGIO, July 28, 2013

US drones launched the first strike in Yemen in 49 days, killing six "militants" in an attack today on a convoy in a southern town controlled by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched missiles at a vehicle carrying AQAP fighters in the Al Mahfad area in the southern province of Abyan, The Associated Press reported.

The exact target of today's strike was not disclosed. Six members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were killed in the airstrike; three of them were identified but their names have not been disclosed, according to AP. No senior AQAP operatives or leaders are reported to have been killed.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and leaders have regrouped in the Al Mahfad area after being driven from cities such as Zinjibar, Jaar, Lawdar, and Shaqra during a Yemeni military offensive that began in the spring of 2012. AQAP controlled the cities in Abyan, as well as other cities and towns in neighboring Shabwa province, after launching its own offensive in the spring of 2011.

The US has launched two other drone strikes in Al Mahfad. The last attack took place on June 1. Eight militants were reported to have been killed in the strike. The previous attack took place on May 18. Four AQAP fighters were killed when the drones launched missiles against a vehicle carrying grenades and suicide belts.

Read more: US launches 1st drone strike in Yemen in 7 weeks - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

US drones strike again in Yemen, kill 3 AQAP operatives

By BILL ROGGIO, July 30, 2013

The US launched its second drone strike in four days in Yemen, killing three al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives today as they traveled in the south of the country.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched missiles at a vehicle carrying AQAP operatives as it drove through the town of Saeed in the southern province of Shabwa, The Associated Press reported.

Yemeni tribesmen told the news agency that "a known Saudi member" of AQAP was among the three fighters killed. The names of those said to have been killed in the strike have not been disclosed.

"The car in which the three were traveling -- two Yemenis and a Saudi -- was blown to pieces and all of them were killed outright," a Yemeni source told AFP, which also reported that there were two cars traveling together; one the vehicles escaped the strike.

Today's strike is the second in Yemen in four days. The previous strike, on July 27, which is said to have killed six AQAP fighters in the Al Mahfad area in Abyan province, broke a seven-week pause in drone activity in Yemen.

Read more: US drones strike again in Yemen, kill 3 AQAP operatives - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

US drones kill 5 AQAP operatives in Yemen

By BILL ROGGIO, August 1, 2013

The US launched its third drone strike in Yemen in the past five days, killing five al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in an area in eastern Yemen that is said to be under the control of the terrorist group.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched a pair of missiles at a target in the Qatan Valley in Hadramout province today, killing five "al Qaeda militants," and wounding three others, Xinhua reported. Reuters said the missiles struck a car, while Xinhua reported that the strike took place at an "al Qaeda-held site in the Qatan valley" that is "used for training terrorists."

No senior al Qaeda operatives or leaders are reported to have been killed at this time. The identities of the al Qaeda operatives who were killed have not been disclosed.

Hadramout is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden's family, and the province has become an AQAP bastion over the past several years.

In 2012, the US stepped up drone strikes against AQAP in Hadramout. Prior to May 2012, there were zero US drone strikes in the province. From mid-May until the end of 2012, the US launched seven attacks in Hadramout. Seven of the 42 drone strikes in Yemen in 2012, or 17%, have taken place in the province. Today's strike in Hadramout is the first in the province so far this year.

Since losing control of large areas of Abyan and Shabwa, AQAP has spread out into the provinces of Aden, Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a. Of the 35 drones strikes recorded by The Long War Journal over the past 12 months, 28 have taken place in the provinces of Aden, Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a.

Read more: US drones kill 5 AQAP operatives in Yemen - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

Local AQAP commander reported killed in recent US drone strike

By BILL ROGGIO, August 3, 2013

An al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leader who commanded forces in the restive southern Yemeni province of Abyan is reported to have been killed in a US drone strike that took place in a neighboring province four days ago.

Al Khidr Husayn al Ja'dani is said to have been killed in the July 30 strike that targeted a vehicle as it was traveling through the town of Saeed in the southern province of Shabwa, according to Aden al Ghad, an Arabic-language newspaper in southern Yemen. Two Yemenis, including al Ja'dani and another operative from Lahj province, and a Saudi AQAP operative were initially reported to have been killed in the strike.

Al Ja'dani was described by Aden al Ghad as a "leading figure in the armed groups known as Ansar al Sharia," AQAP's political front. He is also said to be AQAP's overall commander in Abyan province. He is thought to have led a failed attempt to retake the city of Lawdar in 2012.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has not released a statement confirming or denying al Ja'dani's death.

Al Ja'dani replaced Abdul Mun'im Salim al Fatahani (Abdel-Monem al Fathani), the former emir for AQAP in Abyan province. Al Fatahani was involved in the October 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole in the port of Aden that killed 17 US sailors and put the warship out of commission for months before it was repaired. Fatahani was also involved in a 2002 bombing in the Gulf of Aden that damaged the Limburg, a French-flagged oil tanker. One crew member was killed in the attack.

Read more: Local AQAP commander reported killed in recent US drone strike - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

US kills 4 AQAP operatives in Yemen drone strike

By BILL ROGGIO, August 6, 2013

The US launched its fourth drone strike in Yemen in the past 10 days, killing four al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in an area in central Yemen that is known to host jihadists. The strike takes place as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is at the core of an al Qaeda plot that forces the closure of more than 20 diplomatic facilities across the Middle East and Africa.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched several missiles at a vehicle today as it was traveling in the Wadi Abeedah district in Marib province, according to the Yemen Post. The drones also struck a nearby compound, the news outlet reported.

Four AQAP operatives, including "an al-Qaeda leader," are reported to have been killed in the strike on the vehicle. According to a tribal source, the dead included Saleh al-Tays al-Waeli and Saleh Ali Guti, AFP noted. Al Waeli was among those whose names appeared on a list of Yemen's 25 most-wanted terrorists that was published yesterday.

AQAP leaders are known to operate in Marib. In June, the general director of Al Madina district in Marib Province claimed that top al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leaders Nasir al Wuhayshi, Said al Shihri, and Qassim al Raymi were present in his district.

The US has stepped up attacks in Yemen; today's strike is the fourth in 10 days. The last strike, on Aug. 1, killed five AQAP fighters in the eastern province of Hadramout. On July 30, US drones killed three AQAP fighters, including a Saudi operative, in a strike in Shabwa province; a mid-level AQAP commander is reported to have been killed in the strike. The previous strike, on July 27, which is said to have killed six AQAP fighters in the Al Mahfad area in Abyan province, broke a seven-week pause in drone activity in Yemen.

The recent spike in attacks is likely related to the terror warning by the US that led to the closure of diplomatic facilities in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. US officials said they have intercepted communications between al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri and Nasir al Wuhayshi, AQAP's leader and al Qaeda's general manager.

The strike also took place the day after the Yemeni government issued rewards of five million Yemeni Rials (an estimated $23,000) for 25 AQAP operatives who are "planning to carryout operations in the capital, Sana'a."

"The Yemeni government has taken all necessary precautions to secure diplomatic facilities, vital installations and strategic assets," according to a statement released by the Yemeni government.

Topping the list are Ibrahim Sulaiman al Rubaish, AQAP's leading ideologue and theologian and a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, and Ibrahim Hassan al Asiri, the terror group's top bomb maker who has designed devices that are said to be undetectable by traditional screening methods.

Read more: US kills 4 AQAP operatives in Yemen drone strike - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

Obama administration authorized series of recent drone strikes in Yemen

By Greg Miller, Anne Gearan and Sudarsan Raghavan, Updated: Tuesday, August 6, 8:09 PM

The Obama administration authorized a series of drone strikes in Yemen over the past 10 days as part of an effort to disrupt an al-Qaeda terrorism plot that has forced the closure of American embassies around the world, U.S. officials said.

The officials said the revived drone campaign — with four strikes in rapid succession — is directly related to the emergence of intelligence indicating that al-Qaeda’s leader has urged the group’s Yemen affiliate to attack Western targets.

The officials said it is not clear whether the most recent attacks have suppressed the danger, acknowledging that there is no indication that senior al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen have been killed. The latest strike, on Tuesday, reportedly killed four militants in the impoverished nation’s Marib province, a Yemeni security official said.

“It’s too early to tell whether we’ve actually disrupted anything,” a senior U.S. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The official described the renewed air assault as part of a coordinated response to intelligence that has alarmed counterterrorism officials but lacks specific details about what al-Qaeda may target or when.

“What the U.S. government is trying to do here is to buy time,” the official added.

The State Department underlined that approach on Tuesday, announcing that it had ordered the evacuation of much of the U.S. Embassy in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and urged all Americans to leave the country immediately.

In a global travel alert, the State Department said that all non-emergency U.S. government personnel would be removed “due to the continued potential for terrorist attacks.” It described an “extremely high” security threat level in Yemen.

Yemen is the home base of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the branch of the terrorist group thought to be the most likely to attack U.S. or Western interests. The U.S. Embassy in Yemen was among 19 that were closed through Saturday, as were embassies in Yemen representing several European nations. The British Embassy said Tuesday that it had removed its staff.

The State Department’s decision drew a sharp rebuke from the Yemeni government, which said the evacuation “serves the interests of the extremists and undermines the exceptional cooperation between Yemen and the international alliance against terrorism.”

“Yemen has taken all necessary precautions to ensure the safety and security of foreign missions in the capital,” the Yemeni Embassy in Washington said in a statement.

State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki took issue with Yemen’s assertion that the U.S. move rewards terrorists, and said the decision to remove Americans from the country for safety reasons speaks for itself.

At the same time, jihadists took to Web forums to celebrate the closure of the embassies, with some boasting that doing so was a “nightmare” for the United States, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, a nonprofit organization that monitors the forums.

The burst of drone activity provides new insight into the Obama administration’s approach to counterterrorism operations. U.S. officials said the CIA and the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, which operate parallel drone campaigns in Yemen, have refrained from launching missiles for several months in part because of more restrictive targeting guidelines imposed by President Obama this year. Those new rules, however, allow for strikes to resume in response to an elevated threat.

“They have been holding fire,” said a U.S. official with access to information about the al-Qaeda threat and the drone campaign. But intercepted communications between al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is believed to be in Pakistan, and his counterpart in Yemen, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, have raised concern that the network is preparing an assault on Western targets.

“The chatter is coming from Yemen,” the official said. Embassies outside the region were closed not because they were specifically mentioned but because in Yemen and other countries, they would be prominent targets.

A few dozen U.S. Special Operations forces have been stationed in Yemen since last year to train Yemeni counterterrorism forces and to help pinpoint targets for airstrikes against al-Qaeda targets in the country. The U.S. military carries out drone strikes in Yemen from its base in Djibouti, while the CIA flies armed drones from a separate base in Saudi Arabia.

The CIA and the U.S. military have carried out 16 drone strikes in Yemen this year, according to the New America Foundation, which monitors the drone campaign. Last year, a record 54 strikes occurred.

The Pentagon said it will keep an undisclosed number of military personnel in Yemen to support the U.S. Embassy “and monitor the security situation.” U.S. military officials did not specify how many Americans were flown out of Yemen or where they were taken.

Obama administration authorized recent drone strikes in Yemen - The Washington Post

 

[TruthSeeker]

US strikes again in Yemen, kills 7 AQAP operatives in drone attack

By BILL ROGGIO, August 7, 2013

The US launched its fifth drone strike in Yemen in the past 11 days, killing seven al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in an area in southern Yemen where the terror group is known to operate. The strike takes place as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is at the core of an al Qaeda plot that has forced the closure of more than 20 diplomatic facilities across the Middle East and Africa. The Yemeni government has also claimed it broke up several plots to attack oil facilities in the country.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched several missiles at two vehicles in the Markha area of Shabwa province, The Associated Press reported.

Seven AQAP operatives are said to have killed in the attack, but their identities have not been disclosed.

AQAP leaders are known to operate in Shabwa; the province was under AQAP control from May 2011 until the summer of 2012, when the Yemeni military launched an offensive to wrest control of Shabwa from the terror group.

The US has stepped up attacks in Yemen; today's strike is the fifth in 11 days. The last strike took place yesterday in Marib province. An AQAP operative known as Saleh al-Tays al-Waeli is reported to be among those killed. Al Waeli's name appeared on a list, published on Aug. 5, of Yemen's 25 most-wanted terrorists who were plotting to conduct attacks in the capital of Sana'a and in a number of other governorates.

On Aug. 1, killed five AQAP fighters in the eastern province of Hadramout. On July 30, US drones killed three AQAP fighters, including a Saudi operative, in a strike in Shabwa province; a mid-level AQAP commander is reported to have been killed in the strike. The previous strike, on July 27, which is said to have killed six AQAP fighters in the Al Mahfad area in Abyan province, broke a seven-week pause in drone activity in Yemen.

The recent spike in attacks is related to the terror warning by the US that led to the closure of diplomatic facilities in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. US officials said they have intercepted communications between al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri and Nasir al Wuhayshi, AQAP's leader and al Qaeda's general manager.

According to the Daily Beast, the intercepted communications between Zawahiri and Wuhayshi "happened in a conference call that included the leaders or representatives of the top leadership of al Qaeda and its affiliates calling in from different locations," and "more than 20 al Qaeda operatives were on the call." Representatives from groups such as the Taliban, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and Boko Haram are said to have been in on the call.

Today's strike also took place the day after the Yemeni government issued rewards of five million Yemeni rials (an estimated $23,000) for information leading to the arrest of 25 AQAP operatives who are "planning to carryout operations in the capital, Sana'a, in addition to a number of Yemeni governorates."

"The Yemeni government has taken all necessary precautions to secure diplomatic facilities, vital installations and strategic assets," a statement released by the Yemeni government said.

Topping Yemen's list are Ibrahim Sulaiman al Rubaish, AQAP's leading ideologue and theologian and a former Guantanamo Bay detainee; and Ibrahim Hassan al Asiri, the terror group's senior bomb maker who has designed devices that are said to be undetectable by traditional screening methods.

The Yemeni government claimed today to have disrupted a major plot to take over the city of Mukallah, the provincial capital of Hadramout, and target oil export terminals and facilities.

"The plan involved dozens of al Qaeda members dressed in Yemeni army uniforms storming the facilities," including the Al Dabbah and Balhaf export facilities, Al Jazeera reported.

Read more: US strikes again in Yemen, kills 7 AQAP operatives in drone attack - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

US strikes twice in Yemen, kills 11 AQAP operatives in drone attacks

By BILL ROGGIO, August 7, 2013

The US launched two drone strike in Yemen in the past 24 hours, killing 11 al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in areas in southern and central Yemen where the terror group is known to operate. The strikes take place as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is at the core of an al Qaeda plot that has forced the closure of more than 20 diplomatic facilities across the Middle East and Africa. The Yemeni government has also claimed it broke up several plots to attack oil facilities in the country.

In the first strike, the remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched several missiles at two vehicles in the Markha area of Shabwa province, The Associated Press reported.

Seven AQAP operatives are said to have killed in the attack. The Yemen Post reported that one of the seven fighters killed was Sarhan al Thamlaqi, who was on a lsit of 25 wanted AQAP operatives.

In a second strike, US drones hit a target in Marib province, The Yemen Post reported. Four AQAP fighters and two civilians were killed in the strike, CNN reported.

AQAP leaders are known to operate in Shabwa; the province was under AQAP control from May 2011 until the summer of 2012, when the Yemeni military launched an offensive to wrest control of Shabwa from the terror group. Marib is also a stronghold of AQAP.

The US has stepped up attacks in Yemen; today's strikes are the fifth and six in 11 days. The last strike took place yesterday in Marib province. An AQAP operative known as Saleh al-Tays al-Waeli is reported to be among those killed. Al Waeli's name appeared on a list, published on Aug. 5, of Yemen's 25 most-wanted terrorists who were plotting to conduct attacks in the capital of Sana'a and in a number of other governorates.


Read more: US strikes twice in Yemen, kills 11 AQAP operatives in drone attacks - The Long War Journal

 

[TruthSeeker]

US targets AQAP in two more drone strikes, kill 6 operatives

By BILL ROGGIO, August 8, 2013

The US launched two more airstrikes in Yemen, killing six more al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters as part of an effort to disrupt a global plot to target Western facilities and allied countries.

The first strike took place in the eastern province of Hadramout, a bastion for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The remotely piloted Predators or Reapers struck a vehicle in the Al Ayoon area, The Associated Press reported. Three AQAP fighters are said to have been killed in the latest attack.

The second killed three more AQAP fighters in the Al Qutn area of Hadramout, AP reported. The three fighters were killed after drones struck their vehicle.

No senior al Qaeda operatives or leaders are reported to have been killed at this time. The identities of the al Qaeda operatives who were killed have not been disclosed.

Hadramout is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden's family, and the province has become an AQAP bastion over the past several years.

In 2012, the US stepped up drone strikes against AQAP in Hadramout. Prior to May 2012, there were zero US drone strikes in the province. From mid-May until the end of 2012, the US launched seven attacks in Hadramout. Seven of the 42 drone strikes in Yemen in 2012, or 17%, have taken place in the province. Today's strikes in Hadramout are the second and third in the province so far this year; the last strike was on Aug. 1.

Yesterday, Yemeni officials claimed that AQAP was plotting to attack Mukallah, the provincial capital of Hadramout, as well as the Al Dabbah oil and Balhaf gas export facilities, Yemeni officials claimed. AQAP fighters were to hit the city and facilities with fighters disguised as policemen. Today, Yemeni officials are distancing themselves from the claim.

The US has launched four strikes in Yemen in the past two days. Yesterday, US drones killed seven AQAP fighters in a strike in Shabwa. And late last night, the US killed four more fighters and two civilians in Marib.

The US has stepped up attacks in Yemen; there have been eight strikes in Yemen in the past 12 days. The location of the strikes highlights AQAP's geographical reach in Yemen: three of the strikes took place in Hadramout, two in Abyan, two in Marib, and one in Abyan.

Read more: US targets AQAP in two more drone strikes, kill 6 operatives - The Long War Journal

 

[Takaavar]

The identities of the al Qaeda operatives who were killed have not been disclosed.

How are they sure that they were al-Qaeda members then?

No court, no judgment, only suspect and press the button.

 

[TruthSeeker]

How are they sure that they were al-Qaeda members then?

No court, no judgment, only suspect and press the button.

Yes. What is good for the goose is good for the gander ......

 

[Takaavar]

Yes. What is good for the goose is good for the gander ......

So do you mean if al-Qaeda kills people such US can also do that with al-Qaeda? What would be difference between US and al-Qaeda then? Both looks to be murderer.

 

[Takaavar]

I said that because I've repeatedly seen news that US has killed people in Yemen because they were "suspected to be al-Qaeda member", it's really funny how careless these guys become when it comes to lives of other people.

How are they sure that they were al-Qaeda members then?

No court, no judgment, only suspect and press the button.

 

[Nishan_101]

Yemen should concentrate on making a potent Air defence(Low, Medium and High Level), Maritime Surface Defence and Maritime Submerge Defence(placing Sonar in their coastal region) is really needed and not only by Yemen only but for all the Muslim countries too.

 

[TruthSeeker]

So do you mean if al-Qaeda kills people such US can also do that with al-Qaeda?

Yes.

What would be difference between US and al-Qaeda then? Both looks to be murderer.

al-Qaeda declared war on the United States. We are at war with al Qaeda. Killing the enemy during a war is not murder, which is a legal term for an unjustified killing. We are killing al Qaeda people but not murdering them. Get it?