US drones pounded the southeastern Yemeni province of Hadramawt, destroying a vehicle and killing four unidentified people, all of whom were immediately branded “suspects” by the Yemeni government.
The attack is the third strike of the week, with two previous drone strikes killing eight in the Abyan Province and three others in the neighbouring Shabwa Province. None of them were identified either, but of the eight killed in Abyan, only six are suspects, with two others killed trying to rescue the wounded from the first missile strike.
The strikes bring the drone issue into deeper focus in Yemen, as President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is in Washington this week to meet with President Obama and other top officials.
Locals have condemned the strikes for the large number of civilians killed, but it is unlikely to be the focus of Hadi’s visit, as the US-endorsed military ruler has loudly endorsed the drones, insisting that 9/11 obliges Yemen to allow the US unrestricted drone access.
Drone strikes might be ending soon but not soon enough in this case.
Love those double taps to kill the first-responders. Lesser terrorists, take note!