Killing of Nawar al-Awlaki

Nawar al-Awlaki
Born	Nawar al-Awlaki 2008/2009 United States
Died	January 29, 2017(2017-01-29) (aged 8) Sana'a, Yemen
Cause of death	Homicide (gunshot wound to the neck)
Other names	Nora
Known for	Being killed in a United States military raid ordered by the Trump administration
Father	Anwar al-Awlaki
Relatives	Nasser al-Awlaki (grandfather) Abdulrahman al-Awlaki (half-brother)

Nawar "Nora" al-Awlaki (Arabic: نوار العولقي; 2008/2009 – January 29, 2017) the 8-year-old daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki was killed on January 29, 2017, during the Raid on Yakla, a commando attack ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.^[1][2][3][4]

Conducted in southern Yemen, the raid was an attempted attack on a branch of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda.^[2] The raid in southern Yemen was conducted by the supersecret Joint Special Operations Command and was, according to a senior U.S. military official, intended to capture valuable intelligence, specifically computer equipment. According to U.S. officials, In addition to the death of Nawar al-Awlaki, a U.S. Navy S.E.A.L and three al Qaeda leaders were killed. ^[5]

Nawar al-Awlaki's death gained national coverage and attention in both mainstream and online media sources.^[6][7][8] Nawar's grandfather, Nasser al-Awlaki, said of her killing, "She was hit with a bullet in her neck and suffered for two hours. Why kill children? This is the new U.S. administration – it's very sad, a big crime."^[9] Nawar died with her mother and uncle by her side. Her alleged last words were, "Don't cry, mama. I'm fine."^[10]

Nawar was the third member of her immediate family killed during military orders issued with executive powers. Her father, Anwar al-Awlaki, was the first to be killed by the executive branch when on September 30, 2011, CIA orders calling for a precision drone strike targeting him^[11] were given presidential approval by President Barack Obama.^[12] Anwar al-Awlaki was alleged by the U.S. government to be a leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula that had gone "operational",^[13] although the US government has refused to declassify much of the evidence that led them to this conclusion. Two weeks after the death of her father, Nawar's sixteen-year-old half-brother, Abdulrahman, was also killed in a U.S. drone strike.^{[14][15][16][17]}

See also

• Killing of Abdulrahman al-Awlaki – Incidental death of teenaged American citizen in 2011 due to proximity to terrorist target.
• Raid on Yakla – 2017 US-led operation in Yemen against al-Qaeda

References

1. Scahill, Jeremy, Pardiss Kebriaei, Baraa Shiban, and Amy Goodman. "Yemen: Jeremy Scahill & Advocates Question "Success" of Trump Raid That Killed 24 Civilians", Democracy Now!, February 3, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
2. Ghobari, Mohammed and Phil Stewart. "Commando dies in U.S. raid in Yemen, first military op OK'd by Trump", Reuters, January 29, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
3. Myre, Greg. "Trump Aims For Big Splash In Taking On Terror Fight", NPR, January 29, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
4. "1 US service member killed, 3 wounded in Yemen raid" Archived February 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, WPVI-TV, 6 ABC Action News, Philadelphia, PA. January 29, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
5. "Navy SEAL, 8-year-old American girl died in Yemen raid". NBC News. January 31, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
6. "SEAL, American Girl Die in First Trump-Era U.S. Military Raid". NBC News. January 30, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
7. "Eight-year-old American girl 'killed in Yemen". The Guardian. February 1, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
8. "Obama Killed a 16-Year-Old American in Yemen. Trump Just Killed His 8-Year-Old Sister". The Intercept. January 30, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
9. Ghobari, Mohammed; Stewart, Phil (January 29, 2017). "Commando dies in U.S. raid in Yemen, first military op OK'd by Trump". Reuters. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
10. Wilkins, Brett (January 31, 2017). "Nawar al-Awlaki, 8-yr-old killed in U.S. Yemen raid, was American". DigitalJournal.
11. Mazzetti, Mark; Schmitt, Eric; Worth, Robert F. (September 30, 2011). "Two-Year Manhunt Led to Killing of Awlaki in Yemen". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
12. Raghavan, Sudarsan (September 30, 2011). "Awlaqi hit misses al-Qaeda bombmaker, Yemen says". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
13. Friedersdorf, Conor (October 24, 2012). "How Team Obama Justifies the Killing of a 16-Year-Old American". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
14. CODEPINK Repeatedly Disrupts Brennan Hearing Calling Out Names Of Civilians Killed in Drone Strikes 10:38 minutes in
15. Johnson, Carrie (July 19, 2012). "Families Sue Over U.S. Deaths In Yemen Drone Strikes". NPR. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
16. "American drone deaths highlight controversy". NBC News. February 5, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
17. Al-Aulaqi v. Panetta