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Drone strikes kill nine

January 20, 2013

A pair of drone strikes have killed nine suspected al Qaeda militants in central Yemen, according to Yemeni media and defense ministry reports. A third attack missed its intended target.

https://p.dw.com/p/17NkB
A U.S. Navy BQM-74E drone launches from the flight deck of the guided missile frigate USS Underwood (FFG 36) during a live fire exercise in the Caribbean Sea (Photo: REUTERS/Stuart Phillips/U.S. Navy/ Handout)
Image: REUTERS/Stuart Phillips/U.S. Navy/Handout

Five of the militants were killed in a strike carried out late Saturday, the independent Yemeni website Mareb Press reported. The other four, two believed to be Saudis, were killed in a subsequent strike in the same area, according to the report.

A raid earlier in the evening targeted a vehicle transporting four people, but the rocket missed, allowing the passengers time to flee, a witness told the AFP news agency.

The Yemeni Defense Ministry reported in an SMS that a number of militants were killed in two air strikes but gave no further details.

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has said that he personally approves every attack. Hadi did not comment on the most recent strikes.

mkg/dr (Reuters, AFP, dpa)

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MQ-1 Predator drone (Photo: EPA/LT. COL. LESLIE PRATT+++(c) dpa - Bildfunk+++ )

Should drone strikes be considered lawful?

Should drone strikes be considered lawful?

The US has been using armed drones in the 'War on Terror' since the year 2001. Though they are used in targeted killing, civilian casualties cannot be prevented. This raises legal and ethical questions. (18.01.2013)
January 18, 2013