A summary of US actions in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia in the secret war on terror.
The Bureau’s Covert War project has been tracking drone strikes in Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan. Here we summarise our key work and findings in May:
May 2012 actions
Confirmed US drone strikes: 5
Further reported/ possible US strike events: 18
Alleged militants reported killed in US operations: 23 – 171
Civilians reported killed in US strikes: 1 – 31
Further reported/ possible US strike events: 18
Alleged militants reported killed in US operations: 23 – 171
Civilians reported killed in US strikes: 1 – 31
All Actions 2002 – 2012*
Total confirmed US operations: 44 – 54
Total confirmed US drone strikes: 31 – 41
Possible additional US operations: 86 – 95
Of which possible additional US drone strikes: 48 – 54
Total reported killed: 317 – 814
Total civilians killed: 58 – 138
Children killed: 24
Total confirmed US drone strikes: 31 – 41
Possible additional US operations: 86 – 95
Of which possible additional US drone strikes: 48 – 54
Total reported killed: 317 – 814
Total civilians killed: 58 – 138
Children killed: 24
As in April, intense fighting meant that Yemen again dominated the Bureau’s reporting. Five US drone strikes were confirmed by US or Yemeni officials.
However, an additional 18 possible US strikes were also reported, allegedly involving not only drones but US naval vessels and aircraft. Among these were up to four attacks by warships on militant positions. It was also confirmed that American F-15 Strike Eagles are now based at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, adding weight to claims of US air sorties over Yemen.
With few confirmed operations it was difficult to pin down precise casualty figures. The Bureau’s data shows that between 23 and 171 people died in US operations in May, including a number of named senior militants such as Fahd al-Quso. However, among the dead were up to 31 civilians. Between 8 and 26 civilians died in just one incident in Jaar on May 15, though this may have been the work of the Yemen Air Force.
US troops were also reported to be just 40 miles from the front lines, helping to direct a Yemeni military offensive aimed at driving Islamist insurgents from cities in the south. Saying that its actions were in retaliation, Ansar al Sharia killed more than 100 soldiers in a suicide bomb attack on Sanaa.
* All but one of these actions have taken place during the Obama presidency. Reports of incidents in Yemen often conflate individual strikes. The range in the total strikes and total drone strikes we have recorded reflects this. ...read more
http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2012/06/01/may-update-us-clandestine-actions-in-pakistan-somalia-and-yemen/
