Dawn raids by US drones and helicopters have killed at least 20 people in Yemen, including civilians and three tribal chiefs reported to have links to al-Qaeda, local sources say.
A source told Al Jazeera that at least six homes were destroyed and a number civilians were trapped under the rubble in Yakla district, in the southern province of al-Bayda.
Eight women and eight children were among those killed, a provincial official, who did not want to be named, and tribal sources told the AFP news agency.
The killed al-Qaeda figures were identified as brothers Abdulraouf and Sultan al-Zahab and Saif Alawi al-Jawfi.
Three US helicopters were reportedly involved in the attacks, firing missiles and helicopter machine-guns.
There was no comment from Washington on the raids.
The operation was the first in Yemen attributed to the US since President Donald Trump took office on January 20.
The US has stepped up its use of drone strikes in recent years and is the only force known to be operating drones over Yemen.
Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, known as ISIS) have exploited Yemen’s two-year war to carry out assassinations and bombings, mostly in lawless areas in the south.
According to the UN, more than 10,000 people have died – nearly half of them civilians – since a Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes on Yemen in March 2015.
penury on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 3:39 pm
You must include the fact that 2 U>S> Military personnel were killed during the raid. Then you must be certain to ass ” first military casulties of Trumps presidency” at least that is how the local rag reported it.
Davy on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 4:03 pm
Trump has told the CIA and the military to destroy radical Islam. One of his executive orders is the focus of this. He has told his people whatever it take he is behind them. He has also said they are the experts so he is getting out of their way unlike Obama who micromanaged this fiasco. Putin may be getting onboard. Expect more of these operation and possibly a joint Russian operation someday. This is now possible in the era of Trump.
GregT on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 4:13 pm
“Trump has told the CIA and the military to destroy radical Islam.”
The more people brutally murdered, the more ‘radicals’ will emerge. The war on terror is a self perpetuating war, that cannot be won by terrorizing other groups of people.
onlooker on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 4:16 pm
Have to agree with Greg. History has shown the more oppressive and brutal you are to a people and group, the greater the chance they will rise up.
GregT on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 4:17 pm
Reminds me of the old saying:
“The beatings will continue, until morale improves.”
Davy on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 4:31 pm
Cats out of the bag Greg. Your warm and fuzzy is wonderful but too late. This will have to work itself out and with a military component. Too much global strife and states that are in the vicinity of failure. We are entering a dark time and dark forces are part of it.
GregT on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 4:41 pm
“Too much global strife and states that are in the vicinity of failure.”
Either the US armed forces are being run by completely incompetent idiots, or everything is going as planned. Take your pick.
Apneaman on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 4:52 pm
“Gwynne Dyer, OC (born April 17, 1943) is a London-based independent Canadian journalist, syndicated columnist and military historian.”
“Dyer was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador (then the Dominion of Newfoundland) and joined the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve at the age of sixteen. While still in the naval reserve, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in history from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1963; a Master of Arts in military history from Rice University in Houston, Texas, in 1966; and a Doctor of Philosophy in military and Middle Eastern history at King’s College London in 1973. Dyer served in the Canadian, American and British naval reserves. He was employed as a senior lecturer in war studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, 1973–77. In 1973 he began writing articles for leading London newspapers on the Arab-Israeli conflict, and soon decided to abandon academic life for a full-time career in journalism. In 2010, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.[1]”
“Gwynne Dyer’s November 10, 2016 talk at the University of Regina. Dr. Dyer’s talk, entitled ‘Don’t Panic’, is an examination of the so-called ‘global’ terror threat posed by violent extremist groups like ISIS. An attempt to put the actual risk into perspective, Dr. Dyer contends there simply aren’t enough resources there to make ISIS a global threat – even though media coverage might lead us to believe otherwise. Given the timing of the talk – two days following the 2016 US presidential election, Dr. Dyer also discussed the roots of populism in the US and the UK, and what a Trump presidency could mean for Canada and the world.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbcZBnG1smY
Dyer is banned from Canadian MSM because of his “unfavorable” views on Israel’s treatment of Palestine.
Also from Dyer, the best doc series ever on war and the men who fight them.
“War” with Gwynne Dyer (Complete Series)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR8X5I0C1LF5kaxAE2z_pPy6RMSr89tBx
penury on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 4:54 pm
Greg T, why should I pick only one? They both appear correct.
Apneaman on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 4:55 pm
A Record of Unparalleled Failure
So here are five straightforward lessons — none acceptable in what passes for discussion and debate in this country — that could be drawn from that last half century of every kind of American warfare:
1. No matter how you define American-style war or its goals, it doesn’t work. Ever.
2. No matter how you pose the problems of our world, it doesn’t solve them. Never.
3. No matter how often you cite the use of military force to “stabilize” or “protect” or “liberate” countries or regions, it is a destabilizing force.
4. No matter how regularly you praise the American way of war and its “warriors,” the U.S. military is incapable of winning its wars.
5. No matter how often American presidents claim that the U.S. military is “the finest fighting force in history,” the evidence is in: it isn’t.
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175854/tomgram%3A_engelhardt,_a_record_of_unparalleled_failure/
BobInget on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 5:19 pm
You may enter the US Muslims…
Just don’t let us catch you praying.
penury on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 5:40 pm
Davy, In reply to your comment that Trump is trying to stamp out radical muslims, the reports were twenty persons killed among them 8 women and 8 children. True? False?
Davy on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 6:03 pm
Pen whats your point? true or false
Survivalist on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 6:12 pm
“Trump has told the CIA and the military to destroy radical Islam.”
I doubt that is true. I also doubt the CIA and the US military is capable of that.
I’d be happy if USA just stopped selling ‘radical Islam’ weapons.
Davy on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 6:35 pm
Stopping the weapons is part of the deal and when you add to that a Russian participation we are going to see results. If it gets that far. This is still an ongoing development. There are plenty of forces that want nothing to change. We are not going to end radical Islam but you can eliminate safe spaces for the problem to grow and you can reduce weak spots in the west for further attacks.
sidzepp on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 6:50 pm
Back in the sixties the justification for Vietnam was to stop communism in Southeast Asia before they ended up in Long Beach. Just imagine, an army of peasant soldiers sailing across the Pacific in their sampans out to destroy the American way of life.
A second theme was to “Win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese,” a phrase that emerged during the Iraq war and seemed to appear continuously during Bush’s administration.
The Powers that be like to create fear among the public, and whether it be Communists, or Islamist extremists; it bolsters military spending.
GregT on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 7:20 pm
“We are not going to end radical Islam but you can eliminate safe spaces for the problem to grow and you can reduce weak spots in the west for further attacks.”
If not for the warmongering, the U.S. Economy would have been toast a very long time ago, radical Islam never would have gained the traction that it has, and the EU would not have been overrun with refugees.
The “safe” places for the problem to grow were a feature, not a bug.
Anonymous on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 9:36 pm
I wouldn’t be least surprised if none of the 20 were ‘terrorists’, much less AL-CIAduh ‘operatives’.
uS ‘policy’ is to first label anyone opposed to any uS invasion as ‘a terrorist’, and then, to kill anyone they label a terrorist. And how is that legal? The uS has declared its (permanent) open season on terrorists.
One would be well advised to disbelieve any uS claims about either the numbers of ‘terrorists’ it kills, or even if they were terrorists to begin with.
penury on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 10:13 pm
Speaking technically any invasion of a sovereign nation is an act of war. War can only be declared by Congress and the last time that happened was WWII. Alsi the use of drones to kill civilians was declared by thee UN to be a “war crime” a couple of years ago, and recently SA was accused of War Crimes for bombing in Yeman.
makati1 on Sun, 29th Jan 2017 10:30 pm
Penury, “technically”, you are correct, but since when has the U$ abided by any laws/rules that get in it’s way? It constantly brings up the freedom of the seas act, but never signed it. It is threatening to leave the UN because it is blocking its goals.
Laws are for other people, not the “exceptional” country. It is “at war” with at least five countries now, ALL illegal. It is also the opening of WW3 in cyber warfare, financial warfare and economic warfare. It is only a matter of time until it becomes a shooting war … and not one of the big three nuclear powers will back down if it appears they are losing. The nukes will come out and it will ALL be over, forever. Insanity rules the world now.
Cloggie on Mon, 30th Jan 2017 4:14 am
Yemen, a testing ground for the US MIC.
Davy on Mon, 30th Jan 2017 5:52 am
If the US combines with Russia and fights extremist hot spots then I am OK with it. It is too late for us to live together in peace. The opportunity for peace was the day the USSR fell and the US and her hypocritical allies blew that opportunity. If we can battle entrenched and virulent extremism in a multipolar world where Russia is a partner then this in my mind is different. It is different than a US coalition of hypocrites sponsoring terrorism in Syria under the guise of supporting freedom fighters but with the true purpose of regime change and attacking Russia. There was no end to that policy.
One point here to be made is the Sunni majority areas will have to be accommodated somehow or this war will never end. Some kind of reality will have to shake out where more moderate Sunni elements in Iraq and Syria own their affairs. It is my hope the US turns more isolationist by abandoning the last vestiges of hegemony that Obama pursued in an unholy alliance with the neocons. Will trump be different? Will the US cooperate with Russia in this end? I may be wishful but are there any other alternatives to the previous failures. Leaving the place in a vacuum is not one of them. It is too late for that.
Conflict here on out is not going to end so the anti-war whining is useless. War can only be reduced and hopefully shortened. The world is on a collapse trajectory and conflict is part of that. If you are whining about this conflict you are not saying anything. This is about tough decisions along with mistakes. It is about a common security. Global hot spots will have to be dealt with or we die quicker. Some here say more war is wrong. They are just playing with themselves to feel righteous.
If these conflicts can be done in a multipolar world it is my hope that the traditional bad of US policy can be reduced. It is my opinion the US is heading in a new direction under the policy of pragmatism of Trump nationalism. It is not yet apparent Trump will survive and if he does will his policy will be in the right direction. My point is he represents change and the previous leadership was a disaster of which Europe and Canada were intimately part of. I might add these powers are now fighting this new direction wanting change but only their kind of change. They have not yet admitted failure and are obsessed with the blame stage. Change does not work that way it is often random and unpredictable.
Davy on Mon, 30th Jan 2017 6:29 am
“Quebec City Mosque Shooting: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know”
http://tinyurl.com/gs5uuoz
“Witnesses Said Gunmen, Armed With an ‘AK-47,’ Opened Fire upon About 40 Worshippers While Yelling ‘Allahu Akbar”
“One of the Suspects Is 27 with a ‘Québécois Name’ & the Other Is Moroccan, Sources Say”
“One of the Suspects Called Police to Turn Himself in Because He Felt Guilty”
“A Pig’s Head Was Left outside the Mosque in June & a Video of a Man Threatening to Kill Quebec Muslims Was Posted Online in 2015”
“The Shooting Comes As Prime Minister Trudeau Says Canada Will Welcome Muslim Immigrants Turned Away by the U.S.”
rockman on Mon, 30th Jan 2017 8:47 am
p – “…first military casulties of Trumps presidency” at least that is how the local rag reported it.” So true and certainly not the last. But President Obama does get partial credit: the attack was planned and approved while he was still in office. President Trump chose to go thru with it.
And sadly collateral damage will continue stacking up the body count. Unfortunately the case in every urban battle when combatants choose to embed themselves within the civilian population. Same true in WWII when the allies knowingly bombed French civilians to get to the Germans. Same true for ISIS when they kill civilians embedded with the Iraq or Syrtian military. Same true when US forces attack terrorist organizations that choose to embed themselves in civilian populations.
There’s a very long and sad history of combatants trying to use human shields as a deterrent. The days when appossing armies chose to isolate themselves from civilian populations has long past. Once a WWI general commented that warfare will dramatically change now that airpower has been developed. He felt no country would risk putting its civilians at risk now that battlefields were no longer isolated.
Obviously he was very wrong.
Cloggie on Mon, 30th Jan 2017 9:17 am
Same true in WWII when the allies knowingly bombed French civilians to get to the Germans.
Not just the French. Here my home town in Holland:
http://tinyurl.com/znfxuo9
The bombings were of little or no military value, but it did destroy European industry and thus gave the US a head start after the war on global markets, while colonizing Germany, France, Britain, Holland, etc., the whole purpose of the war in the first place.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6139.htm
“The American Century”
Landmark article in Life Magazine of Feb 1941, 10 months before Roosevelt finally managed to corner Japan enough (economy Japan 6 times smaller than that of the US proving that the war was an act of desperation, not of choice) with the US 100% oil boycott to force them to make the desperate move of the of Pearl Harbor attack, carried out to enable the conquest of the Dutch East Indies without a US naval threat in the flank and get the oil from there.
Although the US were not yet at war, in the article there were 82 references to the word “war”. The article was intended to prepare the American public for great geopolitical changes to come, changing the US from a backwater into the planetary top dog.
If Roosevelt had not imposed the oil boycott, the Japanese would never had attacked PH, but the oil boycott was designed precisely for that purpose, proof:
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/McCollum/index.html
Sissyfuss on Mon, 30th Jan 2017 11:04 am
War is hell and collateral damage is part of that fire of damnation.
rockman on Mon, 30th Jan 2017 3:52 pm
Sorry to hear that Cloggie. From what I know of the history the Dutch did much for the war effort and fought with distinction as best they couild. In particular the exploits of Roelfzema. I have a vague memory of long ago reading a short except of his autobiography “Soldier of Orange”.
Cloggie on Mon, 30th Jan 2017 4:52 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFUMhKplKhY
Yes Rockman, they made a film of the book. Erik Hazelhof-Roelfzema at [0:30] at his student dorm located at the Rapenburg 56, that played a prominent part in the movie/book.
For five years I lived near that house, opposite to hotel Mayflower at the Turfmarkt (with a lady from Moscow):
http://tinyurl.com/zwteuvt
Hotel Mayflower is the left-most building, I lived in the 5th house on the right:
https://ansichtkaartenbeurs.nl/images/kaarten/zh_8449.jpg
The water is the Old Rhine and it was from here that the Pilgrim Fathers left for America (hence the name Mayflower hotel).
Also interesting is that the right river bank was the northern most frontier of the Roman empire in continental Europe, Germania is on the left. So I lived on the Roman side in an empire that stretched as far as southern Egypt. It is an old picture but it still looks like this.
Davy on Mon, 30th Jan 2017 5:58 pm
Nice place Clog!
Cloggie on Mon, 30th Jan 2017 6:27 pm
Yes Davy, it was, 1300 euro per month for two rooms, but as a second home, so fully tax deductible. 😉
It was in that house that I read Heinberg and my fascination began with peak oil.
This I saw happening 5 times from my window, every end November: Sinterklaas coming to the Netherlands:
http://cdn.sleutelstad.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Intocht-sint-2010-111.jpg
(Hotel Mayflower on the right, outside the picture)
The Dutch brought the Sinterklaas tradition to America where it lived on until today as Santa Claus.
This is probably the oldest depiction of Sinterklaas children’s party, by Jan Steen, 1663.
http://www.geschiedenisbeleven.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/12.12.05.Artikel.Sinterklaas-UITGELICHT.jpg