Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

USYEM151-C

Incident date

April 21, 2013

Location

وادي عبيدة، مَأْرِب, Wadi Abida area, Ma'rib, Yemen

Geolocation

15.515556, 45.395278 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

An alleged US drone strike on a house in the Wadi Abida area of Ma’rib province reportedly killed two Al Qaeda militants, from Saudi Arabia and/or Egypt, and wounded up to three others, at dawn on April 21, 2013. One source reported that a woman and child were injured.

An unnamed security official told AFP the strike destroyed a cache of weapons being stored at the house, while Reuters reported weapons were found at the site. Local press quoted eyewitnesses as saying the strike also destroyed two cars and named the owner of the house as bin Masood, while Mareb Press reported that the weapons store continued to explode for an hour after the strike. An unnamed Yemeni security official and eyewitnesses told reporters the strike was carried out by a drone, and locals reported seeing drones flying overhead the previous day. Yemen’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the attack came from a drone, yet without saying who was responsible.

Tribal sources reported that an unmanned aircraft bombed a weapons store believed to be affiliated with members of Al Qaeda. The sources added that the targeted house included human slaves as well, yet no other source confirmed this and no additional bodies were found. The raid killed two alleged AQAP militants who are believed to be from Saudi Arabia, while three other militants were injured. Mareb Press reported that a number of people believed to be from Al Qaeda gathered at the scene of the strikes and evacuated the bodies.

A single source, Aloulaye, reported that a woman and a child were injured, but no further information was given.

Nashwan News identified the location of the strikes as “the Hawi area, Arak Al-Shabwan in Wadi Ubaidah.”

In response to the air raid in Ma’rib, local sources state that five alleged AQAP gunmen attacked a military site on Sunday afternoon affiliated with the Third Mountain Infantry Brigade in the city center next to a petrol station and close to the earlier drone strike site, killing two soldiers.

The incident occured around dawn.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the area of Wadi Abida (وادي عبيدة) in the Ma’rib province (مَأْرِب). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to find boundaries for the area and to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Wadi Abida are: 15.515556, 45.395278.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Infrastructure
    Car, Residential, Vehicle
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2
  • Belligerents reported injured
    1–3

Sources (36) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Plumes of smoke rose above a house in Wadi Abida following an alleged U.S drone strike, April 21st (via Mareb)

US Forces Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Infrastructure
    Car, Residential, Vehicle
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2
  • Belligerents reported injured
    1–3

Sources (36) [ collapse]