Yemen [1] received the first day of Eid (the Muslim holiday celebrating the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan) on August 8 2013, the same way it had received it on Christmas day [2], with US drone strikes, yet this time it was not with two strikes but three.
The US closed 19 of it's embassies [3]across countries in the Middle East and North Africa over a “terror threat”, which was intercepted [4] by the CIA, between Al- Qaeda’s head Ayman Al-Zawahri and Nasir Al-Wuhayshi, the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) head in Yemen. The US also issued a warning to it's citizens to leave the country and flew its embassy staff to Germany. The UK, France and Germany followed suit, closing their embassies in Yemen and issuing terror warnings to their nationals to leave the country.
A few days before Eid, on August 5, Sanaa residents were awoken to the buzzing sound of what they suspected to be a US drone which was later identified as a surveillance plane [5] hovering over the skies of the capital, terrifying its residents.
Activist and Sanaa resident Osamah Alfakih also tweeted:
1st time to feel real feelings of people in targeted areas by #drones [7]. I'm still watching and hearing a #drone [8] hovering in #Sanaa [9] #Yemen [10] #US [11]
— Osamah Alfakih (@osamahfakih) August 6, 2013 [12]
Conflicting news of what's hovering over #Sanaa [9] is a #drone [8] or Navy P-3 surveillance aircraft #Yemen [10] #US [11] Anyway,it's scary enough for ppl!
— Osamah Alfakih (@osamahfakih) August 6, 2013 [13]
A video of the US plane which was circling the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, for days was uploaded to YouTube via YouthStandYEMEN [14]:
A few days later, on August 8th, the first day of Eid three drone strikes [15] were reported, two in Hadhramout and one in Mareb, killing 12, often referred to by media headlines as “suspected militants” without knowing their identities.
Other Yemenis such as Ahmed Khaled complained of the terror caused by the US drones:
Looks that eid in #yemen [16] well be with #Drones [17] instead of fireworks !!!
— ahmed khaled (@a7khaled) August 7, 2013 [18]
Yemeni/American Journalist Hakim Almasmari, editor-in-chief of the Yemen Post, tweeted:
Raining drones in Yemen!!!! Thank you for his Eid gift President @BarackObama [19]. At least 11 killed in three drone strikes today. #Yemen [10]
— Hakim Almasmari (@HakimAlmasmari) August 8, 2013 [20]
Independent journalist Rania Khalik tweeted:
I'm beginning to think the U.S. told its citizens to leave Yemen in order to bomb the crap out of it w/out worrying about killing Americans.
— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) August 8, 2013 [21]
She questioned the “terror threat” adding a link to her blog:
There were 3 U.S. drone strikes in Yemen today. If that's not terrorism, I dunno what is. http://t.co/U8KYQyBv1e [22]
— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) August 9, 2013 [23]
Yemeni/American activist Rooj Alwazir tweeted in dismay:
#AQAP [24] terror plot hype = psychological warfare. Wasn't there always “imminent threat” isnt that y how we justified our #drone [8] program?
— Rooj (@Rooj129) August 7, 2013 [25]
She added:
Another #drone [8] strike in #Yemen [10]. 3rd strike in 3 days, 6th in 10 days. “bodies were seen lying charred alongside their vehicle” #HappyEid [26]?
— Rooj (@Rooj129) August 8, 2013 [27]
Yemeni journalist Khaled Al-Hammadi tweeted:
#Yemen [10] celeberated #Eid_Alfitr [28] under #US [11] drones in #Sanaa [9] #Mareb [29] #Shabwa [30] & #Hadhramout [31], it is Eid mixed with US flavor of drone panic
— Khaled al-Hammadi (@KhaledHammadi) August 8, 2013 [32]
#Yemen [10] death toll : At least 36 killed in 10 days by US drone strikes. One bloody Eid.
— Haykal Bafana (@BaFana3) August 10, 2013 [33]
Yemeni Blogger @Afrahnasser posted [graphic] video and stills images of recent US drone strikes in Yemen in her blog post [34]
Palestinian/American Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin also tweeted:
In #Yemen [10], as people celebrated #Eid [35] this year, American surveillance and armed #Drones [17] flew above the country, striking & killing dozens.
— Ahmed Shihab-Eldin (@ASE) August 11, 2013 [36]
Imagine the US were to be bombed during Christmas… that is what is happening in Yemen during #Eid [35]. http://t.co/pWbmWQtiLd [37] #Yemen [10] #Drones [17]
— Ahmed Shihab-Eldin (@ASE) August 11, 2013 [38]
He added:
The US droned the shit out of Yemen. No one talks about it here. But everyone is talking about it in #Yemen [10] http://t.co/Rqn7d0TV0G [39]
— Ahmed Shihab-Eldin (@ASE) August 11, 2013 [40]
Yemeni activist and journalist Farea Al-Muslimi summed up the fear experienced by Yemenis over Eid in the title of his article in the IndependentThe innocents caught under the drones: For fearful Yemenis the US and al-Qa'ida look very similar [41]:
He wrote:
The US is running to drones every time its counter-terrorism efforts fail. On each occasion the public rage against al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula grows and its image is tarnished, and the US – via drone strikes – restores it again. In its recent actions, the US has become al-Qa'ida's public relations officer.
Almuslimi also tweeted a word of advice to journalists:
to journalists, forget abt mentioning the # of #US [11] #drones [7] on #Yemen [10] this week. the number wl increase before u finish even ur first draft
— Farea Al-muslimi (@almuslimi) August 10, 2013 [42]
Haykel Bafana3 also urged reporters to do some investigative journalism before relaying any information regarding those kiiled by strikes:
Reporters, do Yemen a huge favour : when “Yemeni officials” claim a US drone strike killed “AQ militants”, ask them : “How do you know?”
— Haykal Bafana (@BaFana3) August 8, 2013 [43]
Gregory D.Johnson author of the book “The Last Refuge: Yemen al-Qaeda and America's War in Arabia” tweeted an important fact:
In 3.5 years US has killed somewhere between 630 – 1230 people in Yemen – close to what it estimated was total number of people in AQAP.
— GregorydJohnsen (@gregorydjohnsen) August 13, 2013 [44]
The debate regarding U.S. drone strikes in Yemen has been wether they are effective or if they were creating more enemies was a topic discussed in this SupportYemen [45] video:
A missing voice is in the discussion about drones has been that of families of drone victims which was addressed in this BBC report by correspondent Yalda Hakim [46]: Why drone attacks in Yemen are like ‘trying to hit a ghost’ [47]
Researcher Atiaf Alwazir also advised:
Dont focus only on “#drones [7]“. it's about extrajudicial killings & reforming counter-terrorism policies to effectively address issue #Yemen [10]
— Atiaf Alwazir (@WomanfromYemen) August 11, 2013 [48]
Video-journalist Benjamin Wiacek tweeted:
Many kids and parents in the streets today explained how they were afraid to go out and play for 2 days b/c of #drones [7] over #Sanaa [9] ! #Yemen [10]
— Benjamin Wiacek (@Nefermaat) August 11, 2013 [49]
CNN correspondent Mohammed Jamjoum tweeted:
Eid in #Yemen [10] overshadowed by U.S. drones-activists say drone strikes during Eid only fuels anti American sentiment http://t.co/h6p4e6MxXX [50]
— Mohammed Jamjoom (@JamjoomCNN) August 13, 2013 [51]
On Sunday August 11th, 18 of the 19 US embassies re-opened except the one in Yemen [52].
Since July 27th, till today August 13 the day of writing this post, Yemen has been hit by 10 US drone strikes [53] in different parts of the country (Abyan, Mareb, Hadgramout, Lahj, Shabwa) killing 40 unidentified alleged “militants”.
Yemenis condemn Al-Qaeda's activities and want Yemen to be safe but are enraged [54] by the surge of US drone strikes in Yemen, as they are with President Hadi for approving them [55] and by the government's silence towards the extra-judicial killing of Yemenis based on a US “Kill List [56]“. Most of the so-called “suspected militants” killed are not identified nor are the numbers of civilians killed acknowledged. Both governments are not accountable for their deaths nor for compensating their families for their loss. In summary what was hyped as an Al-Qaeda “terror threat” on the US turned to be a “terror reality” in Yemen by the US, experienced by many Yemenis over Eid.