Guantanamo Bay Naval Station Fast Facts (Updated)
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL STATION – AUGUST 18, 2016
On August 18th, 2016, the United States Navy launched an unprecedented, high-speed, precision airstrike at a designated location in Yemen for the first time in more than a decade. At its peak, the drone strike killed 12 people. The event is the latest in a series of events that have been unfolding on the ground in Yemen since the beginning of 2015 as Al Houthi groups, Iran-allied Yemeni militias, Huthi rebels, and government forces continue to wage war against each other. This military action was the latest in an ever-escalating series of events that took place around the world – from Libya and Syria to Iraq – where the United States has engaged the Islamic State, the al-Qaida and Syrian rebels. But just as in other recent similar events like the 2015 strike on the U.S.-held Navy facility in Yemen – a strike that killed 17 people, including one Navy SEAL and seven civilians, as well as an attack on an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia – the U.S. attacked a key location, targeting the military facility not for its military capacity – which is insignificant in a military-controlled environment – but to directly target militants in a large battle space.
In his speech on the war in Yemen he made some interesting points: • “There has been more than a thousand times more support and assistance from the international community than this country has received since the beginning of this civil war,” said President Trump. • “This is not just a war in Yemen. It’s also a war in Yemen for Yemen,” he continued. • “The United States has done more for peace and security in the Middle East than any other country on earth.” • “The U.S. must honor its responsibilities as a member of the international community… This is a time when we can lead on our word to protect our citizens and all those around the world who
