Al-Majalah camp attack
Part of the al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
TypeAirstrike
Location
Al-Maʽjalah, Abyan Governorate, Yemen

13°58′19″N 46°27′43″E / 13.972°N 46.462°E / 13.972; 46.462
TargetAQAP (U.S. claim)
Date17 December 2009 (2009-12-17)
Executed byUnited States Joint Special Operations Command
Casualties55 (including 14 women and 21 children) killed
al-Majalah is located in Yemen
al-Majalah
al-Majalah
Location of al-Majalah within Yemen

The al-Majalah camp attack also referred to as the al-Majalah massacre[1] occurred on December 17, 2009 when the United States military launched Tomahawk cruise missiles from a ship off the Yemeni coast on a Bedouin camp in the southern village of Al-Maʽjalah in Yemen, killing 14 alleged Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and 41 civilians,[2][3][4][5][6] including 14 women and 23 children.

The attack

The al-Majalah camp attack took place on December 17, 2009, when the United States launched cruise missiles at the site.[7][8] Initially, both the U.S. and Yemeni governments denied U.S. involvement in the strikes, despite accusations from Amnesty International.[9][10] Several months after the attack in Al Majalah, Amnesty International released photos showing an American cluster bomb and a propulsion unit from a Tomahawk cruise missile. A subsequent inquiry by the Yemeni parliament found that 14 Al Qaeda fighters had been killed, along with 41 civilians, including 23 children.[2]

A primary target in the attacks was Qasim al-Raymi, an al-Qaeda leader who is suspected of, or has taken credit for, several attacks that killed many civilians and has threatened more attacks on the United States. Al-Raymi was believed to be behind the 2007 Marib suicide car bombing, which killed seven Spanish tourists and two Yemenis. However, al-Raymi survived the attack.[11]

In media

See also

References

  1. ^ Scahill, Jeremy (2013-06-04). Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield Enhanced Edition for Nook. PublicAffairs. pp. 303–312. ISBN 9781568584843.
  2. ^ a b Filkins, Dexter (6 February 2013). "What We Don't Know About Drones". The New Yorker. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  3. ^ "US: Reassess Targeted Killings in Yemen". Human Rights Watch. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Yemen drones strikes cause civilians to 'fear the US as much as al-Qaeda'". The Daily Telegraph. London. October 22, 2013.
  5. ^ Hugh MacLeod and Nasser Arrabyee (January 3, 2010). "Yemeni air attacks on al-Qaida fighters risk mobilising hostile tribes". The Guardian. London.
  6. ^ Raghavan, Sudarsan (2009-12-18). "Yemen asserts 34 rebels killed in raid on Qaeda". The Washington Post. The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  7. ^ "Obama Ordered U.S. Military Strike on Yemen Terrorists". Abcnews.go.com. December 18, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  8. ^ [1][dead link]
  9. ^ Spencer, Richard (7 June 2010). "US cluster bombs 'killed 35 women and children'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Images of missile and cluster munitions point to US role in fatal attack in Yemen".
  11. ^ Hauslohner, Abigail (December 22, 2009). "Despite U.S. Aid, Yemen Faces Growing al-Qaeda Threat". Time. Archived from the original on December 24, 2009.
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