Tag Archives: Yeman

International, US

At Least 46 Killed in Two Days of US Drone Strikes in Yemen

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This article was written by guest contributor Jason Ditz.

Yesterday’s deadly US drone strike against a highway in Yemen’s Bayda Province was followed up by a similar round of separate strikes in the Shabwa Province today, sending the death tolls over the past 48 hours spiraling.

After yesterday’s attack, which killed 21, reports of today’s strikes are still murky, but at least 25 more were killed, sending the figure to 46, and likely to rise even further as the figures continue to come in from remote areas.

Officially, the Yemeni government referred to the slain today as “leading and dangerous” al-Qaeda figures, but tellingly offered not a single name of a single victim of the attacks.

While today’s victims remain a mystery, a number of civilian bystanders were confirmed killed in yesterday’s attack, which targeted a truckload of “suspects” and destroyed some nearby cars.

 

 

This article is from Antiwar.com.  A friend in need is a friend indeed – and we need your help to fight this brazen state repression. We’re fighting to restore constitutional government in America – but we need your tax-deductible donation to do it. Please, make your contribution today!”

International, US

Obama Admin. Violates Their Own “Lawless” Rules On Drone Strikes, Kills Wedding Party In Yemen

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President Barack Obama violated his own rules for the use of drone strikes in a December 2013 strike on a wedding procession in Yemen, a new report from Human Rights Watch says.

The US military initially claimed that the procession was actually members of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, then admitted it was a wedding procession, but claimed that most of the people killed in the attack were members of the terrorist organization.

But Human Rights Watch says, “The procession also may have included members of AQAP, although it is not clear who they were or what was their fate.” The group went on to say that there is no evidence that members of the caravan posed an imminent threat, and that killing them was a violation of international human rights laws.

Ben Swann was a guest with RT’s Meghan Lopez.  Ben talks about about US drone policy and whether the attack was a violation of Obama’s own stated rules.