5 civilians, not militants, killed in raid by US in Yemen

Five civilians were killed in a raid by US Navy SEALs in Yemen yesterday morning, human rights organisation Reprieve has said, refuting claims by the US military, who said that seven Al-Qaeda militants were killed and there was no civilian casualties.

According to the organization, witnesses from Al-Jubah village in Marib province confirmed the five dead civilians are: Nasser Ali Mahdi Al-Adhal, Al-Ghader Saleh Salem Al-Adhal, Saleh Al-Taffaf, Yasser Al-Taffaf Al-Adhel and Shebreen Saeed Salem Al-Adhal.

Read: US raid kills 7 Al-Qaeda fighters in Yemen

Seventy-year-old Nasser Al-Adhal, who was partially blind, was shot by the SEALs as he tried to greet them, believing they were guests arriving in the village. The other four were killed as they argued with the soldiers after they shot Al-Adhal.

Al-Qaeda fighters were alerted by the gunshots and two were subsequently killed in a firefight. The Navy SEALs then left by helicopter.

#YemeniCrisis

Head of Reprieve’s Assassinations Programme, Kate Higham, said:

This new flawed raid by President Trump shows the US is not capable of distinguishing a terrorist from an innocent civilian.

“When even a 70-year-old is shot dead, it is clear these attacks are not targeted or precise. President Trump must order and immediate investigation into what went wrong and halt all raids and drone strikes before more innocent Yeminis are killed.”