US Special Operations Forces conducted a raid in the Marib Governorate of Yemen early Tuesday that killed seven militants and wounded several American personnel, Pentagon spokesperson Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters. The raid was a “counterterrorism operation” against a “base of operations” for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The special operators engaged in a firefight and called in “precision airstrikes” from an AC-130 gunship. The raid, which was conducted with the cooperation of the Yemeni government, was the first in that country since the Jan. 28 operation in which Chief Petty Officer Ryan Owens was killed. It was also the “furthest inland” ground operation US forces have conducted in Yemen to date, Davis told reporters.
Dozens of fighter jets gathered at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida last week to kick off one of the service’s biggest air combat exercises despite the government shutdown. More than 50 aircraft and 500 personnel are participating in Checkered Flag 26-1.
