Raid on Al Hathla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Raid on Al Hathla |
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| Part of the Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) and the War on Terror |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |
 al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unknown | Hashim Muhsin Aydarus al-Hamid Khalid Ali Mabkhut al-Aradah |
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| Units involved | |||||||
| DEVGRU |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 40-60 commandos, 1 Lockheed AC-130, three Boeing AH-64 Apache, two Military transport aircraft, 8-9 Attack helicopters | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Several wounded (according to US) |
7 militants killed (according to US) None killed (according to local and tribal sources) 2+ killed (according to a human rights organization) |
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| 5 civilians killed and 6 wounded (according to local and tribal sources and a human rights organization) No civilians killed (according to US) |
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The raid on Al Hathla was a military operation by the United States military. It happened on May 23, 2017, in a place called Al Hathla in Yemen. The target was a group called Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). US forces attacked a building that AQAP used to train new fighters.
Contents
Why the Raid Happened
This raid happened four days after the United States Department of State named two important tribal leaders as supporters of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. These leaders were Hashim Muhsin Aydarus al-Hamid and Khalid Ali Mabkhut al-Aradah.
Hamid was described as a tribal leader in Yemen. He often helped AQAP by getting them weapons and money. Aradah was also a tribal leader and a high-ranking AQAP official. He helped AQAP get money and even ran an AQAP training camp.
What Happened During the Raid
What the US Said
The raid began when US Navy SEALs arrived by helicopter in the central province of Marib. They had help from Yemeni officials. The SEALs attacked a building in Al-Hathla village where al-Qaeda fighters were.
A gunfight started, and a large US military plane called a AC-130 was called in for support. US officials said that some US soldiers were hurt during the fight, but none were killed. They also stated that US forces killed seven AQAP fighters using guns and precise airstrikes.
What Local People Said
Local news and tribal sources in Yemen told a different story. They reported that at least 30 US soldiers, with help from Yemeni government soldiers, arrived in Al Hathla very early in the morning. They fought with fighters from two local tribes, Al-Moradi and Al-Aadhali.
These reports claimed that at least seven US soldiers were killed in the intense battle. They also said that no AQAP fighters were in the area when three Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters and two Military transport aircraft approached the village. Neither Yemeni nor US officials confirmed or denied these local reports.
Why the US Did the Raid
US officials explained that the main goal of the raid was to get important information from the building. This information usually included electronic devices like computers, hard drives, and cellphones. The raid was not meant to capture or kill a specific person. It is not known if the US forces successfully got the information they wanted.
Who Was Hurt or Killed
Local tribal sources said that no AQAP fighters were killed in the raid. Instead, they claimed that five civilians were killed and six others were hurt. These civilians were from the Al-Moradi clan. This is different from the US claim that seven AQAP fighters were killed from the Al-Aadhal tribe. The Yemeni government has not confirmed the claims made by the tribal leaders.
No US forces were killed, but an unknown number were wounded. The The Pentagon (US defense headquarters) did not give specific details about the number of wounded soldiers or their injuries. They said this was for privacy and to avoid giving information to enemy forces. A Pentagon spokesperson, Capt. Jeff Davis, said the wounded US forces were able to leave the battlefield on their own. Some reports suggested that two wounded Navy SEALs had arm injuries and were flown to a hospital in Djibouti, but US officials did not confirm this.
Human Rights Group Investigation
Reprieve, a human rights group based in London, spoke to two people from the raided village. They said the raid went wrong from the start. They claimed that the SEALs shot a 70-year-old man named Nasser Al-Adhal, who was partially blind. He had come out of his house, possibly thinking the soldiers were visitors.
When Al-Adhal was shot, other men came out of their homes. Reprieve reported that four of them were shot dead by the SEALs. Reprieve investigators said they were still trying to understand everything that happened. They believed the SEALs were targeting possible fighters, but something went wrong, and villagers were killed. This included Nasser al-Adhal, the 70-year-old man with poor eyesight. The four other villagers were killed when they argued with the Navy SEALs after Nasser al-Adhal was shot. Six villagers were seriously injured, including another elderly man around 69 years old.
After this, Al-Qaeda fighters gathered nearby because they heard the gunshots. A gunfight then started, and at least two of the Al-Qaeda fighters were killed. The Navy SEALs then left with help from a helicopter. A US central command spokesperson, Maj. Josh Jacques, said that the Reprieve report would be investigated.
News Report Investigation
On May 28, The Intercept, an online news organization, published a report about the raid. This report included information from five different people who saw the raid happen. These eyewitnesses also claimed that civilians were killed, including two young boys.
Village residents provided a list of ten names of civilians who were killed or wounded during the raid. A 15-year-old boy named Abdullah Saeed Salem al Adhal was shot dead while trying to escape his home with women and other children. Another child, 12-year-old Othman Mohammed Saleh al Adhal, was injured but survived. Seven other men, who were guests in one house in the village, were also killed, according to a senior figure from the Al Adhlan tribe. He could not identify these guests, but they might be the seven Al-Qaeda fighters that US forces claimed were killed.
