List of military strikes against presumed terrorist targets

This article documents military strikes by governments against presumed terrorist targets outside war zones. For an event to qualify, it must involve military weapons and the target must be thought by the government ordering the strike to be of terrorist nature. The most recent events appear first.

2008 Dhusamareb airstrike

The Dhusamareb airstrike took place on 1 May 2008 when either several US aircraft or a ship offshore launched a missile attack against a target in the Dhuusamarreeb region in central Somalia. The attack was targeted against the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab. Eleven people were killed in the strike, among them two leading militants and five civilians. Four others were injured.

2006 Damadola airstrike

17 people were killed in a RQ-1 Predator airstrike on Damadola (Pakistan), near the Afghan border. The CIA operation was targeting Al Qaeda's number two Ayman al-Zawahri who was initially reported killed in the attack. According to U.S. counterterrorism officials who spoke to NBC News, the attack was conducted by three drones simultaneously attacking three targets. DNA testing could find no evidence of terrorists among the dead.

Sources:

* [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,16937,1686918,00.html The drone, the CIA and a botched attempt to kill bin Laden's deputy] Guardian.co.uk January 15 2006

* [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3BB59B7D-28A6-4B96-B220-63B5C4005B9D.htm Pakistan summons US envoy over raid Pakistanis protest against US strike] Al Jazeera January 15 2006

* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10879736/from/RL.5/ Anatomy of the airstrike in Pakistan] MSNBC January 17 2006

2002 Yemen drone strike

On November 3, 2003, a RQ-1 Predator fired a Hellfire missile at a car in Yemen. Al Qaeda leader Qaed Senyan Abu Ali al-Harithi was the target and is believed to have been killed according to U.S. official. The attack also killed five other men including an American citizen suspected of belonging to Al Qaeda. Sources:

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2439305.stm US defends Yemen strike] BBC News 10 November 2002

* [http://www.janes.com/aerospace/military/news/jdw/jdw021108_1_n.shtml Yemen drone strike: just the start?] Jane's 8 November 2002

* [http://www-tech.mit.edu/V122/N54/long4-54.54w.html U.S. Citizen Among Those Killed In Yemen Predator Missile Strike.] The Tech November 8 2002

* [http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/11/05/yemen.blast/ U.S. missile strike kills al Qaeda chief] CNN November 5 2002

* [http://www.kuow.org/mp3high/m3u/WeekdayA/weekdaya20070223.m3u Steve Scher on Weekday – February 23, 2007] KUOW-FM interviews James Bamford on the National Security Agency (Note: minutes 21–24 of 54 minute audio)

1998 Sudan and Afghanistan cruise missile strikes

On August 21, 1998, President Clinton ordered a strikes against two suspected Afghan terrorist training camps and a suspected Sudanese chemical factory. President Clinton cited terrorist attacks against U.S. Embassies as the reason for ordering the missions. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/eafricabombing/stories/sudan102298.htm Sudan Plant's Tie With bin Laden Disputed] ] [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/eafricabombing/stories/aidestext082098.htm 'There Can Be No Safe Haven for Terrorists'] ] [ [http://www.cnn.com/US/9808/20/us.strikes.01/ U.S. missiles pound targets in Afghanistan, Sudan] ] [ [http://news.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1998/08/21/wemb21.html Clinton strikes terrorist bases] ] [ [http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/102799us-sudan.html To Bomb Sudan Plant, or Not: A Year Later, Debates Rankle] ]

1985 Sinking of Rainbow Warrior

On July 10, 1985, DGSE, the French intelligence agency, sank "Rainbow Warrior", a protest vessel, to prevent that vessel from actively interfering in nuclear weapons testing.

References