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My Village Was Attacked By US Drones in Yemen

Farea al-Muslimi writes about how Yemenis deal with the threat of US drone attacks and the US drone strike on the Yemeni village of Wessab on April 17.

A tribesman walks near a building damaged last year by a U.S. drone air strike targeting suspected al Qaeda militants in Azan of the southeastern Yemeni province of Shabwa February 3, 2013. U.S. drones have launched almost daily raids on suspected al Qaeda militants in Yemen over the past two weeks, and air strikes have aggravated discontent among Yemenis, who say the strikes pose a threat to civilians. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah (YEMEN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY SOCIETY) - RTR3DAZJ
A tribesman walks near a building damaged last year by a US drone strike targeting suspected al-Qaeda militants in Azan of the southeastern Yemeni province of Shabwa, Feb. 3, 2013. — REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

If you live in Yemen, the golden rule is to expect anything any time. That, however, does not include expecting your hometown village — one of the most peaceful and beautiful places in Yemen — to be bombed. The peacefulness of such a place makes you believe that no one has ever heard of it, let alone that it is bombed by a US drone strike at night.

That, however, is the reason that I received many messages from villagers on my two cell phones last night. They informed and asked me about a strike that had just taken place, and targeted a man named Hammed al-Masea Meftah, also known as Hammed al-Radmi — a name I wasn't familiar with as I have been away from the village over the last few years and have only returned for short visits once a year.

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