Thread by @K_Beckerle

1. Days before a #US raid killed at least 15 Yemeni civilians -- including 10 children under the age of ten and four women -- one US General wrote to another, “Good hunting...”

New @MwatanaEn report on the #US use of lethal force in #Yemen out today.

Thread 👇

2. The #US has been using lethal force in #Yemen for nearly two decades.

These operations, in which people are targeted + killed, began under Bush, dramatically expanded under Obama + expanded yet further under Trump.

Throughout: Civilians killed, wounded + otherwise harmed.

3. @MwatanaEn report, out at 6pm Sanaa, looks at 12 US operations during Trump Administration.

What happened under Trump can only be understood in wider context of #US approach to "counterterrorism"

@BarackObama dramatically expanded use of drones across globe, incl in #Yemen

4. After years of reporting, advocacy + litigation by survivors + civil society, @BarackObama announced a set of policies + procedures meant to guide #US use of lethal force abroad. These rules marginally increased transparency and contained a few important measures, but...

5. Put in place by the then-president, Executive Branch power to determine when, if and how lethal force was used across the globe remained expansive and entrenched.

And this was all handed to Trump.

6. And, @BarackObama continued the #US approach of seeking to collapse the distinction between war time and peace time, and the associated international rules (/ protections) on use of lethal force.

7. After inauguration in 2017, Trump Administration began to change some of these policies + procedures.

During first year in office, rate of #US strikes in #Yemen soared, and two Trump-authorized ground raids resulted in significant civilian casualties.

8. Regardless of which #US president or party has controlled the White House, the US has never fully investigated the civilian cost, nor provided the acknowledgment, apology and reparations owed civilians in #Yemen

9. Throughout, transparency woefully lacking. Defense Department has rarely acknowledged civilian deaths caused by #US in #Yemen, and disclosures on civilian harm beyond deaths minimal to non-existent. CIA does not even acknowledge its lethal operations in Yemen.

10. As my colleague @bonyanj said to me: If the #US can figure out how to target and kill people half the world away in #Yemen, it should be able to figure out how to credibly investigate civilian harm and provide redress.

Two decades on, there is simply no excuse.

11. In 2021, new @POTUS administration said would cease all support for #Saudi/#UAE-led coalition “offensive operations” in #Yemen. Said this would not affect #US operations against AQAP.

12. New @POTUS administration also said would review what rules #US would apply to "counterterrorism" operations. Many of the people involved in formulating the Obama framework now members of the Biden Administration.

13. Need far more than simply reversing regressive changes introduced by the Trump Administration.

The status quo that existed in 2016 was flawed, unaccountable, and resulted in repeated international law violations, as well as significant, continuing civilian harm in #Yemen.

14. Will pick up this thread in a few hours with @MwatanaEn's key findings, after nearly four years of research, once report is out.

For an embargoed copy, reach out to @osamahfakih

https://twitter.com/MwatanaEn/status/1374092355616305153?s=20

15. As an example of how crucial and varied civil society efforts on #US lethal force have been, for #Yemen and beyond, email shown above from crucial FOIA efforts by @ACLU. More documents re Jan 2017 Al Bayda raid (and US-#UAE relationship), here:

aclu.org/foia-collectio…

16. @MwatanaEn report investigates 12 #US operations in #Yemen between 2017 and 2019

At least 38 Yemeni civilians killed, incl 13 kids. At least 7 injured, incl 6 kids. Far more harmed. See report 👇

mwatana.org/en/death-falli…

17. Those killed had important roles in families + communities.

Two were teachers. One described as “beloved.” Other kept teaching even after #Yemen civil servant salaries stopped.

Others killed incl university students, beekeepers, fishermen, drivers, laborers + housewives

18. People spoke of the stolen potential of those killed.

One teacher said a poor family had “high hopes” for their 12-year-old boy, describing him as a “very very good child.”

He was killed in a #US strike.

19. Family members described their grief:
-A grandmother fainted after seeing the body of her grandson
-A 40-year-old man collapsed after learning his two brothers killed
-An adult son gathered his mother’s remains
-A husband rushed to get his pregnant wife to hospital. She died

20. In only one of the operations has #US so far acknowledged any resulting civilian harm. No amends or accountability to speak of.

Significant body of evidence that informs report includes site visits, interviews + documents related to witness accounts.

21. #US operations caused other types of deep and long-lasting civilian harm:

-Killing primary breadwinners whose families relied on their incomes
-Damaging and destroying important civilian property, like vehicles, homes and livestock
-Social and psychological harm

22. US operations took a psychological toll.

A parent: “My six-year-old son wanted to go to the bathroom but then returned without going. When I asked him the reason, he said, ‘I don’t want you all to die without me if the drone hits.’”

23. #Yemen-i residents, particularly in certain areas of country, have been forced to live with #US strikes + the possibility that these strikes may kill civilians, including themselves or family members, for many years.

One man: “The drones have a black record of killings”

24. Certain areas of #Yemen particularly impacted by #US operations. Half of the operations documented in @MwatanEn report took place in the central Yemeni governorate of Al Bayda.

See @AirWars excellent report for more on areas particularly impacted:

airwars.org/news-and-inves…

25. In #US operations destroyed important civilian property:
-One destroyed only vehicle a displaced family owned, which they’d used to transport water food + fuel
-Another hit a vehicle while mand transporting food intended to assist some families in small, mountainous village

26. #Yemen is famous for its honey.

Two men worked in the honey trade. Their families relied on the income from the honey they sold.

A #US strike killed the two men, burned most of their beehives, + scattered the rest.

mwatana.org/en/death-falli…

27. Residents expressed shock at some of the apparent targets of #US strikes.

A resident said a child was killed while “returning from the market to his house. That’s it. He went to the market to buy some groceries and was killed on his way. He wasn’t guilty [of anything].”

28. Eight of the 10 documented air strikes were carried out against people traveling in vehicles.

In some of these cases, the vehicle belonged to someone else, or had been recently bought or found by those using it at the time of the strike.

29. #US has consistently denied and undercounted number of civilians harmed in #Yemen operations.

In statements made in aftermath of its operations, #US has repeatedly failed to account for civilian casualties, or mislabeled civilians as lawful targets.

30. After a May 2017 raid in Marib, #US claimed it raided an AQAP “compound”

Mwatana visited the small village. Raid killed at least two civilians, incl a 72-year-old former shepherd who could not see or stand properly. Wounded another two civilians, including a young boy.

31. To collect, analyze + get this information out required substantial efforts by entire @MwatanaEn team.

The biggest thanks to survivors and family members -- who shared their stories. Without their courage, none of this comes to light.

32. Many US-based partners provided crucial advice when drafting. Special thanks to @priyanica @SarahKnuckey and @CLShumanrights students, without whom impossible, and @apmoorehead @HolewinskiSarah for reading much earlier version. List goes on. Thanks, too🙏

33. Survivors and family members called for accountability, including reparations, but none of the individuals interviewed knew of any #US investigations into civilian harm in #Yemen, nor reported having received compensation, condolence payments or other forms of amends.

34. And despite the years of effort that went into this report and into seeking answers, we are all still waiting for the #US to make any additional acknowledgments of civilian harm, let alone provide reparations, other amends and accountability.

@POTUS team, looking at you.

35. More absurd given ours far from only effort. Journalists like @ionacraig cover, orgs like @ACLU @theCCR @Reprieve @AirWars push, people like @deviatar @andreaprasow @danmahanty @KateKizer @HinaShamsi advocate more broadly on #US CT. And so on. Yet, here we still seem to be.

36. Nearly 20 years after the United States' secret and unaccountable killings began in #Yemen, the Biden Administration should, at long last, change towards a rights-respecting course.

It's entirely possible to do so. @POTUS

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P.S. Link to the full @MwatanaEn report in PDF below.
Will share designed version, and Arabic, soon.

mwatana.org/wp-content/upl…