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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 11:17 a.m. ET: Yemeni security and military officials revised the number of suspected militants killed in a U.S. airstrike Tuesday down to four people killed, and said one of the victims was a man suspected of involvement in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole.
Tribal officials in the southern Abyan province said the strike hit the militants late Monday as they were holding an important meeting at the school. Yemeni security officials had originally put the death toll at 15 people but later lowered that figure. They also said 12 militants were wounded in the strikes.
They said one of the suspected militants killed was named Abdel-Monem al-Fathani who was involved in the bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors and injured 39 others. The attack on the U.S. destroyer occurred while it was in the Yemeni port of Aden for refueling.
A Western official in Washington confirmed the U.S. carried out a strike against suspected leaders from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, saying initial indications were that five people were killed. The official did not say where the strike occurred or specify whether it was carried out by a drone or a warplane.
Updated at 9:15 a.m. ET: U.S. airstrikes targeting leaders from Yemen's active al-Qaida branch killed 15 suspected militants, Yemeni officials said on Tuesday.
Yemeni security and military officials said missiles struck a school and a car in Abyan province in an area between Lauder and Mood where the militants were believed to be hiding.
NBC News also reported Tuesday that members of a Yemeni tribe had kidnapped six United Nations aid workers. They were demanding money and the release of one of their members from jail.
According to NBC, the U.N. aid workers include a German, French, Colombian, Iraqi and Lebanese.
A Western official in Washington confirmed the U.S. carried out a strike against suspected leaders from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, but said initial indications were that five people were killed. The official did not say where the strike occurred or specify whether it was carried out by a drone or a warplane.
All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information.
Also Tuesday, Yemen's information minister, Ali al-Amrani, escaped an assassination attempt in the capital Sanaa, an aide said.
Unidentified assailants opened fire on the minister's car after the weekly cabinet meeting and then fled, Amrani's secretary, Abdel-Basset al-Qaedi, said.
The minister was not hurt, he said.
Updated at 2:33 a.m. ET: At least 11 people, including several alleged local al-Qaida leaders, were killed in an overnight airstrike in southern Yemen, local residents said Tuesday.
They said an unidentified drone attacked two vehicles east of the city of Lauder in Abyan province in southern Yemen.
A tribal leader said at least four of those killed were local al-Qaida leaders. Residents said no civilians were hurt in the airstrike.
The United States has used drones repeatedly to attack al-Qaida militants in Yemen. Last September, a U.S. drone killed U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, described by U.S. officials as "chief of external operations" for al-Qaida in Yemen.
Al-Qaida has exploited unrest and protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh to strengthen its hold on remote areas in southern Yemen in recent months.
An opposition-led government has been set up in Yemen after Saleh agreed in November to transfer authority to his deputy ahead of presidential elections in February.
But protests have continued and activists are pressing on with demands that Saleh be tried for alleged killings of demonstrators and that the government is purged of members of his family.
More from msnbc.com and NBC News:
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- Gazans break (dance)ing boundaries
- Tourists banned from U.S. over Twitter jokes?
- Americans take refuge at Cairo embassy
- Street battles rage in Damascus suburbs
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Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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man we are really using these drones to rain death where ever we please... sovereignty whats that?
The thing your welcome to when not on a perceived mission from god to kill and wipe out another people's
I guess Obama's poll numbers were starting to slip again. I guess Obama made a deal with Saleh to allow him to enter the US for medical treatment in return for Saleh letting the US execute some more drone attacks. Now I understand why the administration let this criminal into the country - it was a quid pro quo for allowing the strike.
When you're the bully of the planet, you bomb whomever, whenever you want. RC is another abusive technology used in drones and the missiles. Does this mean USA is at war with Iraq, Afghanastan, pakistan, sumalia, and Yemen. All countries being bombed by the compasionate US of A and every other country that has been bombed by our current war president.
Its impossible to kill all the US of A aka Israel's enemies. It only creates more enemies.
GOOD!! let THEM live in fear! Let THEM wonder when death will take them! After all they welcome death so we are just giving them what they want!
America is the home of militarism. War mongers, Military Industry Complex, and the profiteers have the US government waging perpetual wars around the globe. In the '50s, it's the Korean War and the start of the Cold War. In the '60s and '70s it's the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam War. In the '80s, it's Grenada, and Panama War. In the '90s, it's Bosnia, and Gulf War I. In the 2000, it's Gulf War II, and Afghanistan. In 2010, the covert wars in Pakistan and Yemen have become overt wars, adding to the on-going wars in the MiddleEast.
Government propaganda with the collusion of the media have brainwashed the American people to sacrifice the lives of their precious sons and daughters for the cause of 'Freedom, and Liberty' emotionally charged words exploited by manipulative politicians to wage war for the benefit war lovers and profiteers.
Having lied and misrepresented the facts to the American people, the America government has deployed troops and war machines to invade and attack Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Pakistan for nearly 10 years. Like in the Vietnam War, America's killing machines have slaughtered and maimed millions of innocent men, women, and children. Livelihood are destroyed. Fathers and mothers killed. Orphan children beg for survival. Families are uprooted.
As for the victim of American military aggression, they have planted the seed of hate. As that hate is cultivated, they will hate everything that America stands for. And the expression of that hate is vengeance in the name of Jihad. America's Global War on Terrorism has guaranteed the death and destruction of several generations of American children as well as those in the MiddleEast. There will be no peace for a thousand years.
My snowplow was missing this morning. I asked my local Tribal Leader what happened to it. While I was at it a reporter from MSNBC parachuted in to interview local residents. I tried to speak with the reporter myself but he said he had a deadline and had to parachute back up so he could deliver his report to you right away.
Snark.
This type of reporting wouldn't be acceptable in the smallest of local town news rags. But here it is broadcast to millions by NBC.
In 2009 Obama used a sneak attack of Cruise missles and killed dozens of Yemeni women and children. The truth of that (if you even remember now!) wasnt widely known until Wikileaks exposed it much later.
Bottom line is that we are at undeclared war in Yemen for the benefit of Saudi Arabia (and our petrodollars) and we are fed dirt by our propaganda services.
JP--everytime we try to do something to break big oil's grip on our throats the Rethuglicans block it or ridicule it. Why don't we have compressed natural gas as a motor fuel alternative? Big oil! The US has the largest reserves of Natural Gas in the world. We export it, for crying out loud! (By the way, we export oil too, just to buy more on the world market.) I really don't care whether we got permission or not. I really don't care if there was collateral damage or not. If we are going to pursue terrorists wherever they are we are going to violate sovereignty. So what! How many nations can actually threaten us militarily. For the record, two--China and Russia. I would much rather use long reach weapons that require no US boots on the ground. At least this President doesn't invade another nation without cause.
Well, to play devil's advocate here, we were screaming for Obama to go after the bad guys without sending ground forces in, and now he's going after the bad guys using drones. And now we're screaming about THAT. What gives?
What's the matter with you people? Jesus H. Christ!
Yeah, I can be pretty critical of President Obama too but he is doing exactly the right thing when it comes to terrorists and drones, i.e. filling them with the same dread that they fill innocent civilians with about when they might be vaporized out of thin air.
And before someone asks whether that makes us terrorists too? NO. The difference is that they target innocents and we are killing those who murder innocents in the name of advancing theological supremacy. A HUGE moral distinction.
Keep up the good work Mr. President! And also to Leon Panetta who is turning out to be a fantastic Secretary of Defense.
...and each of them was rewarded in the Heaven with 72 male gay virgins anxious to deliver Allah's grace up his rear end. And so it shall be for eternity.
"The thing your welcome to when not on a perceived mission from god to kill and wipe out another people's" I couldn't agree more.
the Message is Loud & Clear; Harm the USA, & the Consequences Will Be Severe !!!!.......
We didn't ask for this war. It came to us on Sept 11 compliments of Al Qaeda. Thank you Mr. President for being as aggressive as possible without troops on the ground to rid us of this enemy. You mess with this country and you will have hell to pay. God bless the U.S.A. May god give us the strength to destroy all who mean harm to our country, our lives and to our way of living. You don't like it move to another country or stop reading these stories if you don't have the stomach for it. I hope bombs keep raining until Al Qaeda say's enough is enough. Until then keep bombing these sons of bitches until the end of time.
Hey Al-Fathani! Karma can be a real drag sometimes.
Good.
Mister X-2515301
Very good. How about few hundred encores?
so what's your point? Maybe we are renting them out to sovereign govts to kill those who would kill all of us non-believers. Drone them back to the stone age as far as I am concern.
majicalbilly
Bombing the gorillas back to the stone age doesn't work. Check out operation ranch hand by L.B.J.. It did not work in Nam and will not work in the middle east.
The middle east is a gorilla war . The tactics are very different . A gorilla wad is designed to destroy a solderers will to fight not kill thousands of solders. The use of drones is a natural extension of gorilla tactics ( AKA-hit and run). Never let you're enemy know when, where , and how you will attack them . It is a bloody mind game, to destroy ones will to fight.
bob
@bob
They use trained gorillas? Just kidding but seriously - it's guerilla. Don't worry we all make this mistake. But to agree with you... we now have our own flying gorillas. What do you think 15-20 years before all war is a desk job?
Like mole whacking!
this President has some big kahones 2012
Live by the suicide bomb, die by the drone.
Yet more great news! To those here who despise this President,,,,, shove it. Nothing he or his administration has or will do will silence your bitching. Don't kill terrorists? He's then worse than the right wing who wouldn't pull the trigger on OBL because there were $Trillions to be made from American fifedoms wanting a piece of the action. Kill terrorists? Then he's a thug, murderer or any other slur unfit to print. So,,shove it! The right wing is going to loose this election by historic proportions. he he he
Just fulfilling a campaign promise to wag war on terrorists where ever they maybe. Good job, beats the hell out of putting ten's of thousands boots on the ground and getting our young men and women maimed or killed.
Give Leon Panetta some love too; The best Secretary of Defense in quite awhile.
Kudo's to Leon as well. There I fixed it.
Double post damn bubblegum.
Republicans still like to push the lie that Obama is soft on terror and travels the world apoligizing.
Instead it appears he's taking care of business without Haliburton or nation building.
Focusing on the threats. Kicking butt.
FYI - Haliburton went out of business over 2 years ago. Any mercenary forces we are employing now, fall under BHO watch. Which also means BHO is a part of Wall Street!
He's no different then Bush just the same ol' same ol' expanding the wars in the middle east. Paying off the Pakistan government while they kill our soldiers in Afghanistan.
Recent Yemen's history: Yemen (north and South) have been in at war with each other from 1970 - 2007. Both Yemen's united in 1994. However, the fighting continued at lesser levels between the two regions.
Then, Barack Hussein Obama and Hillary Clinton decide they want President Saleh to leave. BHO claims it is because of a popular uprising. BHO leaves out the fact that this country is really two countries involved in another round of civil war. BHO also does not say which side (North or South) he is supporting in this so-called "popular uprising" on purpose. What this really amounts to is BHO's version of the new American Colonialism. In fact under BHO Colonialism Policy, Algeria and Tunisia have been toppled as well. BHO also fails to mention on purpose that as a direct result of his efforts al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and other Sharia Law based groups has grown stronger or have at least been encouraged.
Can anyone tell me why BHO would be indirectly supporting al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula while at the same time using our drones to kill al-Qaida members? But, then I could follow this question up with why is BHO supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt? Which in turn means BHO is indirectly helping Hamas as well. Oops! BHO is helping Hamas directly in that he has given or proposed a total of 1.021 billions to Gaza.
We are probably not killing Al -Queda ,but whoever is not to our liking ,Time. You are right, we finance Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Queda, just like we keep Castro in power-to keep the endless wars going to profit the 1% . As one Marine general said it : " war is a racket". I hope I clarified it for you.
Where are all the GOPers and TPers now? When you hiding fools? This President simply conintues to seek em out, no matter where their lairs are and puts them to sleep for a long time - up there with all their virgins being told by their God that killing men, women, children, infants at will is a good and noble act.
Keep up the good work Mr Obama....The Conservatives talk a good game, but fail to complete their tasks of dotting the I's and crossing the T's. Typical loud mouths that hide under their white robes and put our people against each other for their own personal and political gain.
Freed the slaves in Yemen! Way to go SEAL TEAM 6! Who's next on the list? Alphabetical order? Vatican City? Are we going to assassinate the Pope?
Are we launching drones against al-Quaida terrorists in Albania yet?
Freed the slaves? Do you mean the hostages in Somalia? Apparently we will kill the terrorists wherever they try to hide and regroup for more civilian slaughter. Good Policy. Keep it going.
Netanyahoo is the #1 terrorist on the planet. He was involved in the attack on U.S.S. Liberty!
It's a small world after all. Albania? Why not! Where ever the #$@&+ think they can hide.
Even under your bed , cew ?
Only 11?
Time to increase the "dosage" in the drones..
Is this even legal. Why has America fallen so low. We are setting a bad precedent. Already we have lost the moral authority on many human-rights cases. Now this - arbitrary and summarary killing of people without due process.
I am extremely ashamed of my country. If any foreigners especially Pakistanis or Yemenis are reading this - please accept my appology. US has completely put aside all international and human-rights laws.
I cannot imagine Barack Obama doing this. I feel ashamed of having supported him in 2008.
Josh; I feel good about supporting Barack in 08 and supporting him for 2012. I'm confident that the President doesn't feel good about having the U.S. behave in this manner, but it's not like he can let our guard down if he has known intelligence to act on. It's not like his administration hasn't tried to talk to our adversaries about differences in perspectives. Whom do you prefer to be the victims?
Are you ashamed that your country killed Nazis in World War II to defeat Hitler and his ambitions? Same thing today: Killing bad guys before they murder more people in the name of Supremacy.
Better check under you bed , Adam.
Josh, if you are so ashamed of your country why don't you give up your citizenship and get the F*#k out. You can do that, don't you know? I will never be ashamed of this country. Mr. President keep the death and destruction raining on the middle east until they wave the white flag. This administration has balls made of iron unlike the last pathetic administration with nothing but pansies for leaders. Would any of you rather be attacked in our homeland again instead. Some of you P#$$ies are unbelievable. Man up and grow a pair will you?
kind of getting a chuckle out of how the obama fan club is ..waving that flag of patriotism!! while simply taking advantage of the simple escalation of hostilities that were in place a long time before either of the Bush presidencies.. tsk tsk.. my my.. oh wait.. the Obamas don't have a flag.. no wait .. yes they DO!!
their own.
Do the math ... this story doesn't add up.
A tribal leader said at least four of those killed were local al-Qaida leaders. Residents said no civilians were hurt in the airstrike.
At least 11 people were killed but 4 were al-Qaida and no civilians ... so who were the other 7 people?
Government propagnada is so easily spotted yet so many yahoos go for it everytime.
Well the other 7 were followers not leaders, the math is not that hard to add up.
Or maybe the hostages?
The other seven were Arab, enough said. Good riddance.
MSNBC
Seems all the ones killed were al-Qaida members. No civilians were hurt. Seems as if the US is improving their aim.
The program has always run like this. Occasionally some camp followers are killed (the terrorists bring their multiple wives and children into the war zone) but usually the terrorists are isolated, such as while driving cars/trucks, and blown to bits on the roads without killing anyone else. It's one helluva lot more efficient and humane than bombing Tokyo or Dresden was in WWII.
Those of you who defend these acid-throwing, suicide-bombing, nose-cutting, daughter-strangling terrorists need to look into the mirror long and hard. It was not the U.S. that started this mess, but it will be the U.S. that finishes it. President Obama is doing the right things to protect this country and I, for one, am grateful!
obama is a meat socket.
Local al-Qaida???? lol... This is a war that will keep bringing money to the big people. If you fight a war at an enemy that doesnt exist we will always keep using weapons and fabricating new ones [money for the big ones]. History keep repeating itself... i mean MONEY makers keep using the same stratagies war = money. I am not kidding DO RESEARCH. "Ohhh what is this guy is talking about doesnt he see the attacks on TV." People that do these attacks, they have lost everything so they try to get the worlds attention, and the media attributes it to terror and al-Qaida. I was 13 since i started hearing they killed this al-Qaida leader and this one and this one. Is this a never ending organization with a million leaders?
Guys the country is poor because they is FEW individuals getting all the money, you pay taxes and most of the money is going to the pockets & DOES NOT come back, money has to keep circulating. The US in return prints more money, money looses value, the whole world suffers because they depend in US in some way, because of the money business or whatever...
OPEN YOUR EYES... You and You and You there are letting the rage come to your hearts, "lets bomb them yeaiiii, lets bomb them..." World War, americans refused to go to war, or a great majority of citizen didnt want nothing to do with it, after the Pearl Harbor Attack, how many VOLUNTERED?... Who wants more
The war machine keeps feeding our kids these killing games to create more and more "yeaiii" generation. Very few see through the "business" of killing.
Tell that to the families of the soldiers who have lost their lives in order for you to have the right to spew your bull shiite or to say how ashamed you are of your country.
Keep it up. A frightened towel head is a careless towel head.
The Nobel Peace Prize winning POTUS continues the rampage against what many Americans percieve to be our world - we never learn.
Rampage against our world? Huh?
The only good policy Obama adminstration is the drone policy and Bin Laden Raid. Bush is a closet liberal - If he was not a liberal he would have given orders to kill the terrorist instead of bringing them to guantanomo bay. I like Obama's drone policy why should US spend money on capturing and feeding them in US jails.
I am a big time opponent of Obama adminstrtation but Obama deserves credit for his drone policy.
Peace,
Brown Skinned Immigrant
Kill 'em anywhere and everywhere you find them whenever you find them. Good job!!!
Looks like some of you still live on Surgar Mountain with the Barkers and Colored Baloons. Wish I could join you but unfortunately I grew up. I'd give anything if I could be there too soon.
Like someone said here, they want to die, we're fulfilling their wish. They should be thankful.
Yeah, you'd think we're targeting puppies and koala bears by reading some of these posts.
The DRONE business has to stop. It is illegal, criminal and overarching. Just because these are small aircraft doesn't preclude them from flying into others air-spaces. The CIA is running a mockery with these flying killing machines (snipers) to kill whosoever they wish including mostly innocent humans. Before you know it these damned RONES would be flying our cities on shoot to kill orders. For the gungho this may seem right but over time it will decay our society with diminishing respect for human life. Someone somewhere needs to be held accountable. Enough already.
"innocent humans"
RKapoor -- The people "innocent humans" have to fear are the very people these drones are killing. The fact that you could write such drivel and not be kidnapped,in this country, by men with guns and have your head cut off or tongue cut out is proof that this society has a greater respect for life than the people you sympathize with.
Webster , 1980 ? I agree.
rk. First, I call clown shoes on you. Second, let those drones fly! The CIA seems to be killing mostly the right people. I say let the drones of death do their thing baby!
RKapoor, go soak your head...At leat for three minutes!