Yakla

On Sunday in the Yemenite city of Ateq a protest has been held to denounce the target of innocent civilians by US drone. On January 28 in Shabwa’s Said district residents confirmed that a drone attack has blown up a car carrying at least six male members of the same family and another person.  Saleh al-Aishi al-Ateequi, a relative of the victims who organized the protest, told local media that “the victims were all innocent civilians who had nothing to do with political or religious organisation”. In addition, he harshly blamed the Arab coalition at war with Yemen to be responsible for the deaths, saying it is in charge for the country’s airspace and for protecting civilians lives. The United States is the only force known to operate armed drones over Yemen and normally it does not comment on its operation. However, the January raid, the first operation of this kind authorised by Trump administration resulted in a bloodshed.  The Yemenis “casualties” and the number of US soldiers injured and the death of a Navy seal shows how risky the operation was. Thus, because of the involvement of the American soldier, the raid attracted widespread media attention. Trump refers to the Yemen’s operation only to praise the service of the US soldier, without mentioning that the raid on Yakla, an impoverished and desolate town, resulted in the deaths of at least 16 civilians, including women and children. The White House has admitted the likely involvement of civilians while the proposed objectives of the operation were al-Qaeda fighters. After Obama, the first president who widely used the drones attacks in order to do not deploy “troops on the ground”, President Trump is likely to follow, or even empower, the previous administration strategy. Only last year Donal Trump authorised 125 drone attacks.