CENTCOM: No Yemen Strikes in May 2019

On June 3rd, in response to an inquiry from New America, CENTCOM confirmed that it has not conducted a counterterrorism strike in Yemen during the month of May 2019. CENTCOM stated, “USCENTCOM did not conduct a strike in Yemen in May. The last U.S. military strike in Yemen was on 29 March 2019.”

New America records one report of a suspected U.S. drone strike on May 5, 2019, which was reported by AFP citing a “security official in the area” as the source. CENTCOM had previously denied that the U.S. military conducted the strike in correspondence with New America. However, CENTCOM only tracks U.S. military strikes, so the strike could still have been a U.S. strike conducted covertly by an intelligence agency. Other countries and actors also fly drones above Yemen, which can make attribution difficult.

CENTCOM’s statement marks two months with no U.S. military strikes in Yemen.