Aussies killed in US drone strike in Yemen
Paul Maley and Mark Schliebs
The Australian
April 16, 2014 12:00AM
TWO Australian citizens have been killed in a US airstrike in Yemen in what is the first known example of Australian extremists dying as a result of Washington’s highly controversial use of predator drones.
The Australian has been told the two men, believed to be in their 20s, were killed in a Predator drone strike on five al-Qa’ida militants travelling in a convoy of cars in Hadramout, in eastern Yemen, on November 19.
The men were Christopher Harvard of Townsville and a New Zealand dual citizen who went by the name “Muslim bin John’’ and fought under the alias “Abu Suhaib al-Australi’’.
The Australian government, which insists it was given no advance warning of the strike, has positively identified the remains of the men using DNA analysis, with samples taken from families of the two men.
It is understood at least one of the men, Harvard, was buried in Yemen, possibly as recently as last week, following prolonged discussions with his family, which hoped to repatriate his remains.
A senior counter-terrorism source told The Australian the men were “foot soldiers’’ for al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Qa’ida’s regional franchise based in Yemen.
It is understood US authorities notified Australian officials about the possibility Australian citizens might have been “collateral damage’’ in the strike, part of an ongoing campaign by the US and Yemeni governments to wipe out AQAP militants.
“The Americans advised us that they had intelligence that suggested they may have been in the car and may have been collateral damage,’’ the source said.
The two men were not the intended targets of the attack, which killed three other militants, including Abu Habib al-Yemeni, who appears to have been the primary target.
Abu Habib had reportedly travelled to Afghanistan in 1996 after al-Qa’ida left Sudan, and was a companion to al-Qa’ida leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a US military raid in May 2011. Authorities in Yemen sent DNA samples from all five victims to the Australian Federal Police. The samples, which consisted of tissue and bone fragments, positively identified the two Australians.
A spokeswoman for the AFP declined to comment, as did a spokesman for the US embassy in Canberra.
However, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the nationality of the two men killed. It emphasised the Australian government had no prior knowledge of the strike.
“There was no Australian involvement in, or prior awareness of, the operation,” a spokesman said.
He said DFAT could confirm the deaths late last year of “two Australians in Yemen, one of whom was a dual-national’’.
“We understand the men were killed during a counter-terrorism operation and do not intend to discuss its details,” he said. “Police and consular officials in Australia, and in the dual-national’s country of other nationality, were in contact with the next of kin when the deaths were confirmed.
“The AFP assisted in the identification of remains.’’
Yesterday, Harvard’s stepfather, Neil Dowrick, said the family was told by the AFP in December that he had been killed in a counter-terrorism raid. Mr Dowrick said he received a letter from the government indicating his stepson had been buried in Yemen. “From what we understand, Chris was buried on Friday,” he said.
Mr Dowrick said Harvard’s family had sought assistance from the Australian government to repatriate his grandson’s remains from Yemen, as they could not afford to do so.
It is not certain when Harvard went to Yemen, but it is believed he arrived in 2011.
“From what I was told ... he went over to teach English,” Mr Dowrick said. “Chris told us that’s what he was going over there for.”
Mr Dowrick said he did not know what had prompted his stepson’s conversion to Islam.
“Whatever it was it straightened his life,’’ Mr Dowrick said. “Once he worked out what he needed to do in life, he changed his whole life.”
The five militants killed were eulogised on Twitter, which named them under their aliases as Abu Habib al-Yemeni, Abu Salma al-Russi, Abu Suhaib al-Australi, Waddah al-Hadramawti and Hammam al-Misri.
Abu Suhaib al-Australia was the alias used by Muslim bin John, while Abu Salma al-Russi is believed to refer to Harvard, although it mistakenly identifies him as “the Russian”.
The Australian has been told Harvard was unknown to Australian counter-terrorism officials before his arrival in Yemen.
Once there, however, he quickly showed up on the radar of intelligence agencies. It is understood there were several false reports of him having been killed before November.
Australian authorities knew little about Harvard’s companion and fellow victim, “Muslim bin John’’, a name that a source said appeared to have been changed by deed poll, either in Australia or New Zealand, where he was a citizen.
It is understood the two men did not know each other before meeting in Yemen.
“They were foot soldiers,’’ the counter-terrorism official said, concerning the role played by the two in AQAP. “And there was a suggestion they were involved in kidnapping Westerners for ransom.’’
Armed predator drones have emerged as the weapon of choice for US authorities bent on eliminating Islamic militants. Yemen and the tribal areas of Pakistan are the main theatres for drone warfare.
Both the Pentagon and the CIA operate drones in Yemen, which before the eruption of the Syrian civil war three years ago was the destination-of-choice for foreign extremists, including several Australians.
The US reportedly conducted more than 20 airstrikes in Yemen throughout last year, the majority from drones.
A spokeswoman for the US embassy declined to comment on the incident: “The United States uses all lawful means at its disposal and works closely with foreign partners and allies to mitigate the threats we face.”
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