The high-pressure turbine blades in a Trent 1000 passenger jet engine have to withstand temperatures far above the melting point of the nickel alloy from which they’re made. It’s a fiendish technical challenge for the engine’s British manufacturer, Rolls-Royce Holdings plc — comparable to trying to stop an ice cube melting inside a kitchen oven on full blast.

The solution found by the company’s engineers: blow cool air through tiny holes in the blades. Unfortunately this clever approach has encountered some unexpected problems.

Boeing 787 aircraft operated by British Airways, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Virgin Atlantic and others have been grounded in recent months for inspections and repairs because the Trent 1000 engine blades have been degrading faster than anticipated. It’s the type of problem that’s becoming common in the industry as the demands placed on engines become ever greater.

The expense of dealing with these things is rising too. Last week, Rolls-Royce quantified the cost of fixing various Trent 1000 issues at $3.1 billion, a cash outflow the debt-laden manufacturer can ill afford.

Few inventions have done more to transform our life over the past century than jet engines. They’ve let people travel faster and further, and they’re remarkably safe. Passenger fatalities like the one caused by a turbine failure on a Southwest Airlines flight last year are rare. Developed at enormous expense and using innovative new materials, the most recent “powerplants” (to use engines’ industry name) are comparatively quiet and fuel efficient.

Yet these innovations have taken the technology closer to its technical limits and reliability issues have crept in. “By pushing the envelope on thrust and efficiency, things have started to go wrong elsewhere in the system,” says Nick Cunningham at Agency Partners. This is worrying because companies are under pressure to build even more efficient propulsion systems to curb carbon emissions.

Rolls-Royce’s problems appear the most serious — some 40 787s powered by its engines are parked — but this is an industry-wide issue. Forced to ground planes and adjust flight schedules, airlines have resorted to leasing replacement aircraft and have told engine manufacturers to pay compensation.

In September, Tim Clark, the boss of Emirates, said manufacturers are delivering aircraft that don’t do what was promised. “Give us airframes and engines that work from day one. If you can’t do it, don’t produce them,” he said.

The laws of science aren’t the only thing testing the engine makers. Airbus SE and Boeing Co. have brought several new passenger jets to market in quick succession and their powerplant suppliers have had to ramp up production rapidly. A lot of new demand is from emerging markets where dusty or polluted air can put additional strain on engines.

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Airbus production was thrown into chaos last year by engine glitches involving Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan for the A320neo, Airbus’s top-selling jet. More recently the launch of Boeing’s 777x wide-body aircraft was pushed to next year after the premature wearing out of a General Electric engine component.

It’s one thing for an engine to miss tough production targets, but quite another for engines to fail once they’re in service. “Engine manufacturers have always had teething problems but in four decades I’ve never seen anything like the list of technical issues they’re been having lately,” says John Strickland, director of JLS Consulting.

This month, India threatened to ground scores of Airbus A230neo jets operated by domestic carrier Indigo unless the Pratt engines were replaced by the end of January. The warning followed several incidents of engines shutting down in-flight.

In October, Lufthansa AG subsidiary Swiss temporarily grounded its Airbus A220 fleet so the Pratt engines could be inspected after a spate of powerplant failures (the debris from one such incident was recovered from a French forest last week). Since then Canadian regulators ordered the same aircraft not to operate at full power above a specified altitude.

About 70% of airlines and lessors surveyed by Citi Research said groundings caused by engine issues were a key concern. Some are looking to operate mixed fleets to lessen the risk of one engine type being grounded. While that’s prudent, it’s more expensive than using a single type of equipment.

The risk for engine manufacturers is that reliability issues cost them market share. Earlier this year Air New Zealand switched an order for 787 jet engines to GE after problems with its Rolls-Royce kit. Indigo placed a $20 billion order with the GE/Safran engine joint venture rather buy from Pratt (Pratt claimed the decision was price-related).

The problems haven’t affected all new technologies. Rolls-Royce’s XWB powerplant for the Airbus A350 has proven reliable so far.

There’s more at stake, though, than airline flight schedules and manufacturers’ pride and profitability. As with the car industry, the aerospace sector is gearing up for an epochal effort to curb carbon emissions. Aviation accounts for 2% to 3% of greenhouse gas emissions, but the sheer volume of plane deliveries in coming years will counteract engine efficiency gains. Aviation’s share could rise to between 10% and 25% by 2050, a Roland Berger study found.

Unlike carmakers, the airlines lack viable technological alternatives. Biofuels have potential but fully electric large commercial aircraft are probably decades away.

Engine manufacturers are working on still more efficient jet engine designs. Rolls-Royce claims its Ultrafan technology will deliver a 25% improvement in fuel burn compared to the first generation of Trents. Bringing these innovations to market quickly is essential from a planetary perspective, but rushing development could prove counterproductive. “My sense is that public opinion in Europe at least is moving quicker than the technology,” says Rob Stallard at Vertical Research Partners.

Cunningham is even less optimistic.

“Gas turbines are running out of road at just the point where the political impetus is toward greater decarbonization,” he says. “Jet engines are unlikely to get a lot better from here.”

Inside the cozy nightclub thick with jazz musicians, music industry professionals and a sprinkling of other VIPs, legendary music producer Quincy Jones on Sunday night hosted “Q & You,” a benefit for the Jazz Foundation of America.

“There are some amazing people here tonight,” Jones said from his perch on a banquette, seated beside music heavyweight Clarence Avant, the subject of the 2019 documentary “The Black Godfather.”

“The big guns always come out to support this event,” said Eden Alpert, daughter of Herb Alpert and a partner in the legendary jazz trumpeter’s Vibrato Grill in L.A’s Beverly Crest neighborhood, where the fundraiser took place. “It’s artists helping artists, and that’s important.”

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The event
“Q & You” honored nine-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell and 11-time Grammy-winning composer and jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter. And the event raised funds for the Jazz Foundation of America Musicians’ Emergency Fund, for musicians in need of housing, medical care and disaster relief, in addition to the foundation’s Jazz & Blues in the Schools program.

The program

Danny Glover (“Lethal Weapon”) served as emcee for a program headlined by Chaka Khan and featuring the so-called piano prince of New Orleans, Davell Crawford, as well as actress-singer-songwriter Rita Wilson; musical duo Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman; and jazz musicians Ray Parker Jr., Antoine Roney, John Patitucci, Patrice Rushen, Greg Phillinganes, Michael Hunter, Alex Acuna and Steve Jordan.

The crowd
Guests included Keegan-Michael Key, star of comedy series “Key & Peele”; Verdine White, bassist for Earth, Wind & Fire; Vince Wilburn Jr., producer of the documentary “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool”; Olivia Harrison, co-author of “George Harrison: Living in the Material World”; music producer Jed Leiber; and, from the Jazz Foundation, executive director Joseph Petrucelli and founding director Wendy Oxenhorn.

“I’m here to support the Jazz Foundation,” Key said. “It’s important for people to understand that we should preserve American music. Jazz and blues are the most American forms; they’re part of the identity of our nation.”

The scene
Seated beside the stage, Wilson caught up with Harrison, widow of George Harrison. In another corner, White joined friends, saying, “I’m here to celebrate jazz — hanging here with colleagues on a Sunday night.”

The quotes
“Where Joni goes, there I am,” said Chaka Khan, adding that she chose to sing two of her favorite Mitchell songs, “Man From Mars” and “The Hissing of Summer Lawns.”

“Joni’s music has meant so much to my life,” said Wilson earlier in the evening, before stepping onto the stage to sing “Joni,” a song Wilson wrote for her self-titled album, which also features a cover of Mitchell’s song “River.”

After singing “A Strange Man,” Melvoin said she and Coleman had never performed any of Mitchell’s music live, just “privately, quietly,” in their homes. So, in response to all those who had asked how she was feeling, she said, “In the spirit of complete full disclosure, I could pass out right now.”

Glover called Shorter “a genius, leaving an indelible mark on the world of music, on the universal language of song and certainly an indelible imprint on my life.” As for Mitchell, he said he listened to her classic “Both Sides Now” every morning during the filming of Lars von Trier’s 2005 film, “Manderlay,” in Sweden.

Said Leiber, “Not many people can take credit for beginning a style of music, but Wayne Shorter inspired a whole generation of musicians that came after him.”

The numbers
Proceeds totaling more than $150,000 came from a live auction, pledges and 150 event tickets ranging from $500 to $2,500 at the sold-out venue. The Jazz Foundation’s emergency assistance program helps an average of 30 musicians a day and brings live music programs to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, parks, museums and community centers, reaching 90,000 listeners and providing jobs for musicians in 19 states nationwide.

“If you’re walking in the desert, parched, and if somebody would have given you water, that would have been already fantastic,” said Carolina Shorter, the honoree’s wife. “But with [the Jazz Foundation], you feel like you’ve found a tent, with pillows and shade and air conditioning and the most amazing people in the world.”

InsightCuba is offering U.S. travelers free round-trip airfare between Miami and Havana on multiday tours to the island nation.

The deal: The free airfare applies to most tours, from four-day weekend excursions to Havana ($2,595 and up), to 10-day tours ($4,895 and up) that take you to less-traveled parts of the island. The company has been organizing customized and small group tours to Cuba since 2000.

When: You can book free airfare with tours through the end of 2020.

Details: InsightCuba also provides a legal visa for U.S. travelers. Rules governing travel to Cuba have changed, most recently with the Trump administration banning U.S. carriers from flying to any city except Havana.

Info: insightcuba.com

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GAZA CITY  — 

Israeli airstrikes killed more Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza on Wednesday as rocket fire toward Israel resumed after a brief overnight lull, raising the death toll in the strip to 18 Palestinians in the heaviest round of fighting in months.

The military said more than 250 rockets have been fired at Israeli communities since the violence erupted following an Israeli airstrike that killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander accused of being the mastermind of recent attacks. Israel stepped up its battle against Iran and its proxies across the region.

The latest fighting brought life in much of Israel to a standstill. Schools remained closed in Israeli communities near the Gaza border and restrictions on public gatherings continued as rockets rained down.

Those attacks came after the early morning strike on Tuesday killed Bahaa Abu Atta and his wife as they were sleeping. Rocket fire from Gaza reached as far north as Tel Aviv, and two people were wounded by shrapnel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a special Cabinet meeting that Israel has no interest in sparking a wider confrontation but warned the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad that Israel will keep pounding them until the rockets stop.

“They know we will continue to strike them without mercy,” Netanyahu said. “They have one choice: either stop these attacks or absorb more and more blows.”

Gaza’s Hamas rulers have yet to enter the fray — a possible sign the current round of violence could be brief. Although larger and more powerful than Islamic Jihad, Hamas is also more pragmatic. With Gaza’s economy in tatters, it appears to have little desire for more fighting with Israel.

Egypt, which frequently mediates between Israel and Gaza militants, has been working to deescalate tensions, according to Cairo officials. Islamic Jihad rejected the efforts, with spokesman Musab Berim saying the group’s priority is to “respond to the crime and confront the Israeli aggression.”

Seeking to keep the outburst under control, the Israeli military has restricted its operations to Islamic Jihad, and nearly all the Gaza casualties so far have been members of the militant group.

Israel’s new defense minister said Israel wouldn’t hesitate to carry out additional targeted killings against those who threaten it.

“Whoever plans to harm us during the day, will never be safe to make it through the night,” he said after taking office Tuesday.

Netanyahu appointed him to fortify his hard-line political base as he clings to office after two inconclusive elections. Bennett has long advocated tougher action against Palestinian militants but wasn’t part of the plans to strike Abu Atta.

No Israeli deaths have been caused by the rocket attacks, mostly thanks to Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, which the military said intercepted some 90% of the projectiles. A few homes suffered direct strikes, though, and there was a near miss on a major highway, where a rocket crashed down just after a vehicle had passed.

In Gaza, Islamic Jihad said 38-year-old Khaled Faraj, a brigade commander, was killed early Wednesday along with another militant from the group’s Quds radio network. Four others were killed in an airstrike, including a father and two sons, and two others were targeted later. Their identities were unclear.

Along with Tuesday’s predawn strike in Gaza, another strike attributed to Israel targeted a senior Islamic Jihad commander based in Syria. The strikes appeared to be a new surge in the open warfare between Israel and Iranian proxies in the region.

Iran has forces based in Syria, Israel’s northern neighbor, and supports Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. In Gaza, it supplies Islamic Jihad with cash, weapons and expertise.

Netanyahu has also claimed Iran is using Iraq and far-off Yemen, where Tehran supports Shiite Houthi rebels at war with a Saudi-led coalition backing the government, to plan attacks against Israel. Hamas also receives some support from Iran.

Israel frequently strikes Iranian interests in Syria but Tuesday’s attack in Damascus appeared to be a rare assassination attempt there of a Palestinian militant.

Despite the disruption to daily life, there appeared to be widespread support in Israel for the targeting of Abu Atta — a “ticking bomb” who was actively orchestrating new attacks, according to officials. Netanyahu said the military operation was approved by the Cabinet 10 days in advance.

“We showed that we can strike terrorists with minimum damage to innocents,” Netanyahu said. “Anyone who harms us, we will harm them.”

Still, some opposition figures suggested the timing could not be divorced from the political reality in Israel, where Netanyahu leads a caretaker government while his chief challenger, former military chief Benny Gantz, is currently trying to build a coalition government of his own.

Despite their rivalry, both men support a unity government, but each demands that he lead it.

Gantz said he’d been briefed on the airstrike in advance, calling it “the right decision.” Netanyahu updated his rival on developments later, according to his office. But a successful military operation could bolster Netanyahu as he seeks to hold onto power — especially if he is indicted on corruption charges.

Israel’s attorney general is to decide in the coming weeks whether to indict Netanyahu. An indictment would increase pressure on him to step aside. Netanyahu has sought to portray himself as the one most capable of steering the country through its many security challenges.

CANBERRA, Australia — 

Scores of wildfires continued to rage across vast tracts of Australia’s drought-stricken east coast on Wednesday, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes, some for the second time in a week.

The most intense fires were concentrated in the northeastern states of New South Wales and Queensland, although a fire emergency warning had also been issued for a blaze threatening the west coast city of Geraldton.

New South Wales had lost more than 200 homes since Friday, while 14 homes had been destroyed in southeast Queensland.

Some communities have been evacuated repeatedly as the fire danger recedes, then returns with flames fanned by strong wind changes.

Tony Wellington, mayor of the Queensland town of Noosa North Shore, said residents there were being evacuated for the second time in a week.

“It’s bad enough being evacuated once, let alone multiple times,” Wellington told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “It’s terribly distressing, always, to be evacuated.”

A severe fire danger warning was in place for much of southern Queensland, with soaring temperatures and thunderstorms expected.

“We’ve got another tough day today and there is an extended forecast that we are not out the woods by any means,” said Michael Wassing of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commission.

The Insurance Council of Australia, an industry body, said insurers had received 450 fire damage claims in the disaster areas.

In New South Wales, 13 firefighters were injured overnight by catastrophic wildfires that subsided on Wednesday.

At one point on Tuesday, 16 fires raged out of control at emergency level simultaneously across New South Wales, a near record number.

Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons warned that rain that would quench the fire danger on the east coast is not forecast for months.

State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was relieved that the destruction on Tuesday had not been worse. A weeklong state of emergency for New South Wales was declared on Monday because of the fire danger, with Tuesday having been forecast as the most dangerous day.

“I have to confess to being hugely relieved this morning that yesterday our amazing volunteers and emergency service personnel withstood the catastrophic conditions and did manage to save life and property,” Berejiklian said.

Fitzsimmons said none of the injured firefighters had been seriously hurt.

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Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Will These Hearings Be Unimpeachable?

Public hearings in the impeachment inquiry of President Trump are scheduled to begin this morning with testimony from State Department official George Kent and William B. Taylor Jr., the by-the-book senior U.S. diplomat in Ukraine.

Both have already told lawmakers they were troubled by the president and his administration’s pressure on Ukraine to conduct investigations that would benefit Trump politically while holding up congressionally approved military aid to the U.S. ally. (Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, will publicly testify Friday.)

How it will play out on TV is anyone’s guess, but Democrats’ top challenge is to keep the proceedings serious and straightforward, but also engaging, while Republicans are looking to question the fairness and integrity of the investigation. Need a quick primer on all this? Here you go.

DACA in the Balance

The Supreme Court’s conservative justices sounded skeptical Tuesday about the legality of the Obama-era policy known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which has allowed 700,000 young immigrants to live and work in the United States. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., whose vote is likely to be the deciding one, appeared to agree with Trump’s claim that the policy of protecting the so-called Dreamers was legally questionable. A decision in the case won’t come until next year.

After Tuesday’s hearing, University of California President Janet Napolitano — who created the program in 2012 as U.S. Homeland Security secretary — spoke in its defense. Meanwhile, hundreds of L.A. students walked out of class and rallied downtown in support of DACA.

More Politics

— White House advisor Stephen Miller sent emails that “promoted white nationalist literature and racist propaganda” to conservative news site Breitbart, the Southern Poverty Law Center said after releasing excerpts.

— White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said that he no longer plans to sue over the impeachment proceedings and will instead follow Trump’s directions and decline to cooperate.

— Trump said the United States will increase tariffs on Chinese goods if the first step of a broader trade agreement isn’t reached.

— Mark Sanford has dropped his challenge to Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, saying the focus on impeachment has made it impossible for his campaign to gain traction.

A Shaken Campus

A series of student deaths at USC this semester has prompted concern and a demand for answers among the campus community. Nine have died since Aug. 24, and officials have confirmed that three of them died by suicide. University administrators are now engaged in a delicate balancing act as they notify students, attempt to quell rumors, offer mental health resources and also try to avoid triggering students who may be in the midst of a mental health crisis.

Relentless Pursuit

At a serial killer’s trial in 2016, Times reporter Christopher Goffard met Anaheim Police Det. Julissa Trapp, the homicide detective who had spent two years working at the center of the case. He found a story of tenacious policework and obsession — one that is taught to patrol officers graduating to detective work. Now that story is being told in the podcast “Detective Trapp.” It will be released Nov. 19, but Times subscribers can listen to the first two episodes now.

Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

On this date in 1958, then-Sen. John F. Kennedy was visiting his sister Patricia and her husband, actor Peter Lawford, with plans to attend their daughter’s baptism the next day; he’d finished a 17-state campaign swing for fellow Democrats. As Kennedy chatted with reporters in his sister’s Santa Monica beachfront home, The Times’ William S. Murphy snapped an informal portrait in a relaxed moment, capturing him with his sports jacket tucked under his arm.

That photo became one of Jacqueline Kennedy’s favorites, and after her husband’s assassination in 1963, she asked that it be used in his first commemorative postage stamp. Murphy autographed the print and placed one of the stamps in the corner. Read more about Murphy, the photo and the stamp here.

CALIFORNIA

— L.A. Archbishop José Gomez, already the highest-ranking Latino in the U.S. Catholic Church, has marked another milestone by becoming the first Latino elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

— Former public defender Rachel Rossi is entering the L.A. County district attorney race, joining a field otherwise filled by career prosecutors and law enforcement officials in a bid to unseat D.A. Jackie Lacey.

— The U.S. has nearly 1,700 high-hazard dams in risky condition, an Associated Press review of federal data found. Six are in California.

— Five survivors of the Gilroy Garlic Festival mass shooting have sued the event’s organizers, saying negligent security contributed.

— Uber has appealed L.A.’s suspension of its permit to rent out electric scooters and bikes, setting up a possible legal showdown amid an impasse over the city’s new data-sharing rule.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— Streaming service Disney+ launched to massive anticipation and (surprise!) technical glitches. One of its new original series, “The Mandalorian,” is the first live-action series in the “Star Wars” universe. TV critic Lorraine Ali says the first episode is the epitome of “Star Wars”: a safe, entertaining blockbuster.

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— “Parasite” and its take on the class divide could end South Korea’s dry spell at the Oscars.

— “Mixed-ish” showrunner Karin Gist explains how Hollywood still makes inclusion hard to achieve.

— Netflix is out with its first look at its upcoming series about Selena.

NATION-WORLD

— Hate crimes rose sharply last year against Latinos and transgender people, per new FBI data, and there was a shift overall toward hate crimes against people, not property.

— From 7-degree cold in Chicago and dustings in Memphis to record snowfall in famously snowy Buffalo, a broad swath of the eastern half of the U.S. saw snow and cold records shattered as it was slammed by an arctic air mass that started in Siberia.

— Ousted Bolivian President Evo Morales landed in Mexico, where he has been granted political asylum. The avowed socialist, who became his country’s first indigenous president, has pledged to return and says he was the victim of a coup. Meanwhile, an opposition senator has declared herself interim president, and the U.S. appeared to recognize her as Bolivia’s new leader.

BUSINESS

— JetBlue is jumping on the budget-economy bandwagon with a no-frills fare option of its own, dubbed Blue Basic.

— Richard Plepler, who led HBO through its creative renaissance with “Game of Thrones” and other shows, is in advanced talks with Apple for a production deal to create original programming for its streaming service.

SPORTS

— As head coach of the Phoenix Suns, onetime Lakers coaching candidate Monty Williams has his new team off to a fast start. But the LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma led a late surge as the Lakers won Tuesday night at Phoenix, 123-115.

— Paul George will make his Clippers debut on the road this week, perhaps as soon as today in Houston.

— Matt Luff is bringing a more measured mind-set to what he hopes will be his second extended stint with the Kings.

OPINION

— Regardless of what the Supreme Court does, Congress should make DACA stronger and permanent, The Times Editorial Board writes.

— The U.S. has helped create a world in which extrajudicial drone executions are the norm, writes human rights advocate Jennifer Gibson.

— Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney‘s defiance of Democrats’ subpoenas in their impeachment inquiry highlights how limited Congress’ power is to enforce its demands, writes deputy editorial page editor Jon Healey.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

— After the deadly crashes of two 737 Max jets, Boeing first blamed the pilots. Then a victim’s family — including a famous consumer-advocate uncle — got involved. (ProPublica / The New Yorker)

— Inside WeWork‘s toxic phone booths. (Businessweek)

— Tiny biotech companies, not giant drug makers, are worried House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s drug pricing bill could be “devastating” to their industry. (Stat News)

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

Art Shapiro is a professor of evolution and ecology at UC Davis and a collector of quotes, books, names and stories. Particular interests include Argentinian politics, hermetic texts, meteorology and cheap beer. His specialty, though, is butterflies. For nearly half a century, he has meticulously tracked butterfly populations at 10 sites in north-central California. And at 73, he has no plans to retire.

If you like this newsletter, please share it with friends. Comments or ideas? Email us at [email protected].

Contradicting a version of events presented by the U.S. military and reported widely by the corporate press, a human rights group and a journalist in Yemen are citing witnesses who said a raid by U.S. Navy SEALs on Monday night killed multiple innocent civilians and not just “Al Qaeda militants” as the Pentagon claimed.

“This new flawed raid by President Trump shows the US is not capable of distinguishing a terrorist from an innocent civilian.”
—Kate Higham, ReprieveReprieve, a UK-based human rights group, cited witnesses from the village of Al-Jubah in Marib province, where the raid took place, and offered the names of five civilians killed as Nasser Ali Mahdi Al-Adhal; Al-Ghader Saleh Salem Al-Adhal; Saleh Al-Taffaf; Yasser Al-Taffaf Al-Adhel; and Shebreen Saeed Salem Al-Adhal.

The witnesses said that none of those five were fighting for al-Qaeda and that Nasser al-Adhal, identified as being approximately 70-years-old and partially blind, was the first one shot by the U.S. soldiers when he mistook them for arriving guests and came out to greet them. According to Reprieve:

The four other villagers were killed when they started to argue with the Navy Seals after the shooting of Nasser al-Adhal. Six villagers were seriously injured, including another elderly man who was around 69-years-old.

Al-Qaeda fighters gathering nearby, who are thought to have been the original target of the raid, were alerted by the gunshots in the village and firefight ensued in which at least two of them were killed. The Navy SEALs then left with the help of air support from a helicopter.

Independent journalist Iona Craig, who has reported from the ground in Yemen for years, helped corroborate the version of events provided to Reprieve. “Five tribesmen amongst killed in US raid last night were not AQ,” Craig tweeted on Tuesday. “They were tribesmen of young activists who drove me from Mareb into Yakla.”

Part of the wider “global war on terror” that the U.S. began in the wake of the September 11th attacks in 2001, Yemen has been a target of drone strikes and clandestine operations for years. But as foreign policy experts and the people of Yemen have repeatedly stated, the use of drones and clandestine raids have only hardened Al-Qaeda’s position in the country and the killing of innocent civilians as provided a nearly perfect recruiting tool for the militant group.

In addition to backing the ongoing Saudi-led war against Yemen, the military under President Donald Trump has continued to target Al-Qaeda aligned forces in the country. In January, just days after his inauguration, Trump was roundly criticized for a botched raid that led to the death of one U.S. soldier and as many as thirty civilians, including children.

Kate Higham, head of the Assassinations Programme at Reprieve, said this week’s killing of more innocent Yemenis proves that Trump is no better than his predecessors when it comes to protecting civilian lives.