Drone strikes in Yemen

Drone strikes in Yemen
Part of the War on Terror and the Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)

MQ-1 Predator commonly used in drone strikes in Yemen
DateNovember 5, 2002
(1 day)
December 17, 2009 – present
(14 years, 11 months and 3 days)
Location
Yemen
Status

Ongoing

  • 378 drone strikes confirmed[26]
  • 57 al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leaders confirmed killed[27]
  • Numerous al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula bases destroyed
  • Most recent drone strike against al-Qaeda launched in February 2023[28]
Belligerents

 United States

Saudi-led coalition:
 Saudi Arabia
 United Arab Emirates
 Bahrain
 Kuwait
 Qatar
 Jordan
 Morocco
 Sudan
 Senegal
Supported by:

Logistical Support:

In support of:
Yemen Cabinet of Yemen

United States-led coalition:
 United States
 United Kingdom
 Australia
 Bahrain
 Canada
 Denmark
 Germany
 Greece
 South Korea
 Netherlands
 New Zealand
 Norway
 Seychelles
 Singapore
 Sri Lanka
Supported by:

Al-Qaeda

Supported by:

Alleged Support:

 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (from 2014)[17]

Yemen Revolutionary Committee/Supreme Political Council

Supported by:
 Iran[19][20]
 Syria[21]
 North Korea[22]
 Qatar[23]
 Russia[24]
 Hezbollah[25]
 Cuba
 Eritrea
 Oman
 Libya (until 2011)
Commanders and leaders
United States George W. Bush
United States Barack Obama
United States Donald Trump
United States Joe Biden		 Nasir al-Wuhayshi  †
Qasim al-Raymi  †
Abu Hamza al-Zinjibari  †
Said Ali al-Shihri  †
Khalid Batarfi
Ibrahim al-Asiri  †
Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi  †
Anwar al-Awlaki  †
Othman al-Ghamdi  †
Ibrahim al-Rubaysh  †
Harith bin Ghazi al-Nadhari  †
Ibrahim al-Qosi  (POW)
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
1 killed
3 wounded
1 V-22 Osprey crashed
1 MQ-9 Reaper shot down		 1,367–1,758 total killed, 1,251–1,609 militants killed (New America)[31] or 846–1,159 militants killed (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism)[32]
116–149 civilians killed (New America)[31] or 174–225 civilians killed (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism)[32]

United States drone strikes in Yemen started after the September 11 attacks in the United States, when the US military attacked the Islamist militant presence in Yemen, in particular Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula using drone warfare.[33]

With the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, the Saudi led coalition also attacked Houthi rebels using drone warfare.[34] The Houthi military have as well used drone warfare to attack the Saudi led coalition and pro Yemen government troops.[35][36]

  1. ^ "Canadian rifles may have fallen into Yemen rebel hands, likely via Saudi Arabia". CBC News. February 22, 2016. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  2. ^ Ben Knight (April 14, 2017). "Germany sells arms to UAE despite Yemen conflict". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  3. ^ Ahmed Soliman & David Styan (April 15, 2016). "Connecting the Horn of Africa and the Gulf". AllAfrica.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  4. ^ Ngaish, Yemane (November 16, 2015). "Eritrea: What Has Eritrea Got to Do With the Crisis in Yemen?". Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017 – via AllAfrica.
  5. ^ "SOMALIA: Somalia finally pledges support to Saudi-led coalition in Yemen – Raxanreeb Online". RBC Radio. April 7, 2015. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  6. ^ McDowall, Angus (May 3, 2015). "Saudi-led coalition probably used cluster bombs in Yemen: HRW". Reuters U.S. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016.
  7. ^ "Senegal to support Yemen campaign". BBC News. May 5, 2015. Archived from the original on May 8, 2015.
  8. ^ "Saudi-led strikes target Houthi positions on border with Yemen". France 24. Reuters. May 6, 2015. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016.
  9. ^ "Pakistan agrees to send ships to block arms shipments to Yemen rebels". Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  10. ^ "AQAP: A Resurgent Threat - Combating Terrorism Center at West Point". www.ctc.usma.edu. September 11, 2015. Archived from the original on May 28, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  11. ^ "What is the real challenge for Yemen's Hadrami Elite forces?". July 19, 2016. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  12. ^ Plaut, Martin (January 17, 2010). "Somalia and Yemen 'swapping militants'". BBC News. Archived from the original on July 2, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
  13. ^ Muaad Al-Maqtari (March 22, 2012). "Conflicting reports on Al-Shabab fighters entering Yemen". yementimes.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  14. ^ Osman, Abdulaziz (June 8, 2017). "Heavy Losses Reported as Somali Puntland Forces Repel Al-Shabab Attack". Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  15. ^ "The Paris Attacks Underscore the Deep Threat Still Posed by Al Qaeda". January 10, 2015. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  16. ^ Radman, al-Sabri, Hussam, Assim (February 28, 2023). "Leadership from Iran: How Al-Qaeda in Yemen Fell Under the Sway of Saif al-Adel". Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "Libyan city declares itself part of Islamic State caliphate". CP24. November 9, 2014. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  18. ^ "Gale Cengage Product Failure". Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  19. ^ "Russia denies Mike Pompeo's allegation of links between Iran, al-Qaeda". Business Standard India. January 14, 2021. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  20. ^ See:
  21. ^ "Syrian regime coordinates military training with Yemeni Houthis". ARA News. March 9, 2015. Archived from the original on March 13, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  22. ^ "North Korea's Balancing Act in the Persian Gulf". The Huffington Post. August 17, 2015. Archived from the original on August 17, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015. North Korea's military support for Houthi rebels in Yemen is the latest manifestation of its support for anti-American forces.
  23. ^ "Fact Check: Is Qatar Supporting Terrorism? A Look at Its Ties to Iran, ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood". Haaretz. Associated Press. July 11, 2017. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  24. ^ "Putin's Latest Moves: The Military Alliance Among Iran, Hezbollah And Russia In Syria Could Spread To Yemen". International Business Times. September 25, 2015. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015. Moscow is now supporting the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels who are fighting forces loyal to the U.S.-supported exiled president.
  25. ^ See:
  26. ^ "The War in Yemen". newamerica.org. August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  27. ^ "Yemen Leaders Killed". Washington, DC, USA: New America. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  28. ^ "US drone strike kills 2 suspected Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen's Marib". arabnews.com. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  29. ^ Gatehouse, Gabriel (September 11, 2015). "Inside Yemen's forgotten war". BBC News. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015.
  30. ^ "US special forces secretly deployed to assist Saudi Arabia in Yemen conflict". The Independent. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  31. ^ a b "Drone Strikes: Yemen". Washington, DC, USA: New America. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  32. ^ a b "Drone War: Yemen". The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  33. ^ Al Qaeda Arrests Worldwide FOX News
  34. ^ Watling, Rawan Shaif, Jack (April 27, 2018). "How the UAE's Chinese-Made Drone Is Changing the War in Yemen". Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  35. ^ "Houthi drone kills troops loyal to Yemen government at Al-Anad airbase in Lahij". The Defense Post. January 10, 2019. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  36. ^ "Low-Tech, High-Reward: The Houthi Drone Attack - Foreign Policy Research Institute". fpri.org/. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2019.