American mercenaries hired by UAE to kill in Yemen - BBC World Service Documentaries

BBC Arabic has secured the first on-camera interviews with US mercenaries from Spear Operations Group, hired by the UAE for targeted killings in Yemen. These mercenaries openly discussed their deadly operations with the BBC.
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The investigation brought to light alarming evidence that Spear Operations didn't just carry out targeted killings; they also trained Emirati officers in assassination techniques.
These skills were then used by the Emiratis to target and eliminate Yemeni civilians whom the UAE considered political enemies. Targeted killings in Yemen continue to this day.
0:00 Intro
01:31 American Mercenaries: Killing in Yemen
02:18 Isaac: Hired to kill
04:56 Yemen instability
07:02 Dale: An American Mercenary
09:09 The target: Ansaf mayo
12:03 The reasons for targeting
14:05 The investigator: Baraa Shiban
15:05 UAE’s political enemies
17:05 The assassination ripple effect
18:35 The UAE’s involvement
20:56 The Southern Transitional Council
23:00 Target: Huda Al-Sirari
27:50 Hiring terrorists
32:22 Was the US aware of this issue?
34:45 Confronting a mercenary
37:43 Would Isaac meet his target?
40:14 Huda fighting for justice
Directed by: Jess Kelly
Reporter: Nawal Al-Maghafi
Executive Producer: Monica Garnsey
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#BBCWorldService #WorldService #UAE #Yemen #BBCEyeInvestigation

[@patrolone-sl3xv]

He said, "You've been to Yemen. It's a hell hole". The female interviewer was like... I was born there. 😂😂😂

[@hunger4jsutice]

Yemen is one of the most beautiful counties on earth. Is there any doubt this was initiated by Mossad?

[@Xenomorph-hb4zf]

​@@hunger4jsuticeSpear operations group is created and owned by Israel. Israel somehow has their hands in literally everywhere.

[@adamnorsk]

Yemen is a literal hell. Stop taking meds @@hunger4jsutice

[@bennyskims]

Yemen is a million times better than Detroit

[@zaidsayed3222]

“I am going after bad people evil people”….. in case you haven’t realised he is Al-Qaeda

[@instupitious]

Mustache dye guy instantly contradicts himself. “We do our due diligence for any target, we don’t just kill” to be followed by “well I’m just a soldier, we get a name and don’t ask questions” what a sociopath, killing people for money in a country he’s not even a citizen.

[@Faith-truth]

Exactly!

[@_netscapenavigator]

He also is a Q follower and stormed the Capitol in 2021

[@gerhardtmuller7439]

naive beyond belief at your age.

[@chrismac2234]

Actually that's called compartmentalisation of intelligence. I handle my end. SigInt and then pass my targets to the in theatre asset. It's chain of command, and continuity of military intelligence. Your a civilian and CANNOT possibly understand these things. Just be thankful there are people like us. You'd shit your pants during training let alone operations.

[@YoY664]

"killing people for money in a country he’s not even a citizen." welcome to planet earth mother theresa.

[@Faithinhim7]

If you took this story and went up the ladder a couple rungs you'd be labelled a conspiracy theorist and censored

[@davidpeterson9507]

She is likely censored now and has a lot more to say privately .Remember freedom of speech if its the right speech.

[@uwcb1]

Bs. A conspiracy theory isn’t based in reality , she’s a reporter detailing facts.

[@miniroundaboutinbrum7915]

Well my earlier comment has been deleted because apparently I may have breached the community guidelines. Not sure why it’s obvious these guys are exactly what they say they are: guns for hire And who is paying for these assassins? Looks like the currency was $$$$$$$$$

[@warfaali]

You are right

[@domwick720]

@@uwcb1 if some conspiracy theories turn out true what are they based on if not reality??!

[@Faithinhim7]

I didn't realise Tropic Thunder was based on real guys.

[@Shangox]

Humans life means nothing to these people the only thing that matters to them is money

[@MrElliotc02]

Unlike most of humanity...

[@Reno_Slim]

Islamists' lives are much, MUCH less valuable than normal people's lives. Islamists are the only people the mercenaries are interested in.

[@corettamohohlo5445]

Ye, I totally agree It's tough to be arab and Muslim in thus world. I feel sorry for them the west have succeeded and painting them evil n most dangerous. the west created all this by attacking the Arabs in the first place. Now the cycle is never ending.

[@mteokay1246]

same applies to white western powers who for whatever reasons set up military operations in nonwhite countries with zero thought whatsoever to the hundred thousands civilians they kill in the process.

[@CockSmasher-xw4px]

Not necessarily money, they just want control

[@isaiahperez7138]

Bro got real uncomfortable and had to smile because he didnt know she knew stuff nobody was supposed to know

[@emileblanche5868]

The dude ain’t got nothing to worry about. Everything he did was legal.

[@lambert1623]

She knows too much already., so no more interviews for this journalist.

[@isaiahperez7138]

@@lambert1623 I agree.. and if we feel like I can only imagine what the others feel about her. She’s pretty incredible with it

[@hunger4jsutice]

Funny...legal...wrong​@@emileblanche5868

[@sukanahdhalai8768]

Wrong acc this interview was filmed 9 months prior to this documentary, and the president was not even aware of the making of this documentary. Also the man she accused of blowing up the uss cole is wrong. Its not nassrr alshibi, the man involved was name ramzi ibn alshibi. Ill tell u sum, this while documnetary was filled with b.s ​@isaiahperez7138

[@siuabc]

Wow, this is right out of a movie, except this is no movie! This is real!

[@NeostormXLMAX]

Usa is the empire from starwars 😂😂

[@saaji55]

This’s fake story, would you imagine a hit-and-run man confess doing crimes on a TV documentary, and not even the victim hadn't done anything to file a lawsuit against this actor?!! It's part of UK propaganda against gulf countries to blackmail them using a pro-Houthy reporter that fails to put up a convenient story! UAE is corrupting Yemen, but it's not more than what have the Houthy done to Yemen, western governments bias against Saudia and UAE; is the sole reason Houthy militia is still seizing Major parts of Yemen. I'm Yemeni and this my view on the situation.

[@vjamesg100]

Make a good movie as well. Ridley Scott would be the director, and probably write the script. Russell Crowe would have to be in it. He hasn't done anything for some time.

[@John_theodore]

interesting how from around minute marker 18:00-19:00 they describe aid for YMN being used for these operations, and then just before that they also describe these operations as being initially masked as having been done by ______ groups (this is what global media reported), since they were effectively pushed at all of the main figures in their sociogovernmental apparatus.

[@andrewsheppard5218]

This was a very informative documentary. It shows that mercenaries will do anything for the right price. A lot of people on these UAE assassination lists were targeted because they were viewed as a political threat to their control of Yemen.

[@paulietv2162]

Pure propaganda as expected from the BBC

[@MOVIEGUY925]

* Propaganda is the word you’re looking for

[@miniroundaboutinbrum7915]

Exactly there is zero legal framework for assassination lists. Anyone could end up on a hit list and they don’t know they are being targeted therefore there is no chance to identify who the “bad guys are”. These guys are exactly what they say they are: guns for hire

[@hunger4jsutice]

Sociopathic serial killer.

[@hunger4jsutice]

​@@paulietv2162because you don't want to hear the truth?

[@Ashmooni]

We the citizens in all countries are moved like pawns.

[@rezarajaeian4617]

This documentary is a compelling must-watch. Nawal Al-Maghafi has done an outstanding job revealing the stark realities behind countries that proclaim to fight terrorism -but rather promote, train, and conduct terrorist activities. It brilliantly sheds light on the formation and activities of Spear Operations Group, founded by Israeli security contractor Abraham Golan. The documentary exposes the unsettling truth about their involvement in the assassination of human rights activists in Yemen. A thought-provoking and eye-opening piece that challenges the narrative of so-called democtaric states.

[@raymondotoole2600]

The person who founded it doesn’t necessarily indicate they were involved in the assassinations. He founded the group to fight terrorism. He didn’t create the group to assassinate social activists. Shame if the group which was supposed to target terrorists have actually killed social activists but some people and organisations do change and are easily influenced by money and power

[@YoungCub]

^ no. You literally grasped onto one word of this excellent summary and missed the entire point

[@shhlarious4455]

Calling the victim a “terrorist” doesn’t give you a “kill pass” . Fucked up world

[@f.f.r9]

Well, that's all these evil people do. They just need to call you or convince others that you're a good terrorist to give them the greenlight to kill. These has been the playbook of most Western governments.

[@timeames2509]

Hamas aren't the victims, they are the terrorists period!

[@keith7167]

Not a victim, a combatant

[@EE-kt8sh]

​@@keith7167clown.

[@therhymeimpersonatorshow]

Exactly

[@alafpolo862]

I like how BBC throws UAE under the bus, while never mentioned UAE did all these acts with the support of US and UK and none of these could have happened without the knowledge of CIA and MI6.

[@nopt1118]

Two-faced. See how the BBC refused to livestream South Africa's genocide case but the following day, they livestreamed Israel's rebuttal.

[@NeostormXLMAX]

Its shifting the blame a little, since it slowly becomes impossible to deny

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

And for the Mossad, Israel, the American and European Military Industrial Complex, Oil Companies, and to sell arms to the Islamic world and launder American Taxpayer Dollars which the Politicians and Military Brass get kickbacks from.

[@hendrikroux4596]

Absolutely CORRECT! and propably initiated by them (the CIA/US and UK) I am so dicusted in the western nations lies on lies and horrific disgraceful murdering actions

[@John_theodore]

yeah, pretty clear thats what Spear actually was. I mean from 27:30 onwards it literally describes how the t_____ were actually the ones used as mercs, which is nuts, and at 29:47 they literally describe with actual documentation what happened.

[@Wachepti]

Incredible watch. I was particularly floored by the assassin saying " oh yeah we independently verify all targets ourselves" and then admitting right afterwards that they just hit whoever is on the list.

[@jon123xyz]

Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

[@ualrdyknowaitiz]

he literally their employee lol he can say what he likes and wrap it a narrative of counterrorism but hes just a mercenary , who does whatever hes paid to do

[@brandstof6601]

Some of the best investigative reporting seen in a long time

[@user-kp8ed4dq7y]

Who’s defining the bad guys???

[@jayd6813]

The war prostitutes, and prostitutes are generally not reliable in accounting for truth.

[@Huzaifakhan-nc9dx]

money

[@karma2023findsU]

The BBC and The terror backed organization Reprieve are.

[@hans-joachimbierwirth4727]

Guns. The bad side is where the hole is.

[@MrChuckwagon55]

Issac is the bad guy who lied to all the men.

[@operator9858]

They dont even try and hide it anymore....

[@tecsto7069]

Hide what? It was never hidden, Is not illegal to e a mercenary receive money from a government and kill for it. In Human history we saw that done for centuries.

[@operator9858]

@@tecsto7069 it wasnt exactly advertised tho either was it? and as demonstrated in the vid some groups arent even on the lists and they arent really all that discerning.

[@tecsto7069]

@@operator9858 Neither is you, neither is me, neither is any group legal or not, anything can't be 100% transparent of what they are doing , is pure human nature to be in advantage.

[@operator9858]

@@tecsto7069 it shows that we provoked them at a time when regional conflict is more and more likely that we will have few options in and depleted capability from other conflicts and potential others on the horizon.

[@mikeferrini8884]

Their ego's couldn't help themselves.

[@thomasthomasphilp4393]

Where were the protests by Muslims when 300,000 innocent Yemenis were put to hunger and massacred by Saudi led coalition?

[@noisyboy4985]

Probably supporting them 😂

[@Qbkgrfqq0]

It's Saudi Arabia, not the United States of America, so there's no need to protest This is how Muslims think

[@kareharpies]

Of the two countries, Saudi Arabia and USA, only one of them says "right is might" and pretends to be a moral authority.

[@mohammedjafer9265]

Allah will deal with every injustice their eyes will stare in horror that's a reminder for the believer in this prison of a world

[@beshrashahbain7916]

@@Qbkgrfqq0who do you think is finding Saudi? Lol the US

[@Coohy]

I love how they try to justify it to themselves "they are terrorists" "i follow my handlers" "who am i to question my orders" aight buddy just say you're evil

[@twofortydrifter]

Sadly, that's how mercenaries work.

[@HopefulInterventions]

My exact thoughts!! 😮

[@BritneyB233]

No soul no Honour, just motivated by the dollar worthless people worthless life’s 🤷‍♀️

[@MB2.0]

​@@twofortydrifter Regular soldiers as well

[@twofortydrifter]

@@MB2.0 Yea, I know. But I thjnk the OP was referring to the more extreme times this happens like is portrayed in the video.

[@abdulmaleksayed1485]

The lady reporting for BBC is a legend. She has to be the one of best reporters in western media today.

[@HavingFunYet-zc8wb]

really ? ...`Seems she talks about matters that are above her pay grade .. EXAMPLE .. 30 % of Brit recruits are minors( 16- 17 ) soooooooo bad had to scrape 3 war ships to get Sailors .. worse .. the 30,000 Ukraine marines Brits trained for River crossing .. all dead but 50 ish Only saving Grasse , Russians laugh harder at French toy's[ REAL TRASH ] .... Brits are second to making junk .. worse ? .. Falkland's you stole , are in play , shame 9000 km away

[@riskinhos]

legend? she has more balls than the guys she's interviewing.

[@osmo1205]

i just say pixar

[@jasonpillay9909]

She's from Yemen.

[@Area51-is6vg]

Don't you think UAE government has hired lawyers to have KZbin to remove this video? 👈

[@vig6321]

2:24 goddayum, the interviewer is CAKED up

[@UserAbc247]

It’s absolutely heartbreaking 💔 to see what my country gone through, such a terrible and planned disaster of all time. Well done to the journalist for being brave and having the courage to make this documentary.

[@RS-rz9xj]

Loving Yemen.

[@user-hs4xn5nc4d]

❤❤​@@RS-rz9xj

[@jimmyjones203]

thx for sharing it !

[@loo6837]

Good documentary. Very painful, very sad to watch this from the comfort of my living room. My heart goes out to this steadfast gentleman and Hudo bravest mother and all those in Yemen.

[@justfantasic]

They're hiring mercenaries

[@Razzotis2211]

So what's different between hiring mercenaries and having proxies like iran😅

[@user-pg6co1pu8z]

​@@Razzotis2211iran is defending against mercenaries

[@ghosttube6525]

​@@user-pg6co1pu8zWell, their doing a horrible job

[@Shyhalu]

@@Razzotis2211 Nothing, but liberals and rhinos normalized hypocrisy so its ok when we do it.

[@idk.1903]

@@Razzotis2211 Thank you for this

[@yassiguy]

This is bone chilling, but unfortunately not surprising.

[@dxux4679]

And for the BBC, no less.

[@godofsounds]

Appreciate the transparency to reveal themselves and important parts of the story to make people understand the point of view and reasons for the actions. Very interesting. Thanks

[@Dbales34]

That Yemeni official had no idea what he was getting into.. he has deceit written all over his face

[@JeeWillikurz]

And too many extra cheeseburgers 😂

[@tazbeton]

Right. He is the head of the militia formed by the UAE in south Yemen, Another mercenary.

[@user-yv9ie3dr3q]

كلا انه يعرف كل شي وهوا يتلقاء المل من المارات

[@abcdef-qk6jf]

It looks like a new Angola. Almost 50 years later - the history is repeated. A mercernaires heaven - a Hell for almost everybody else....

[@peterkin1010]

Sadly the wrong side won in Angola. A terrorist organisation the MPLA with virtually no popular support was imposed via the Soviet Union and Cuba on the Angolsn people. Angola had two million people killed thanks to Brezhnev and Castro and for daring to try and stand up to them via Dr Jonas Savimbi. After the Soviet Union fell Casstro slowly disengaged his 500000 troops . The corrupt Dos Santos led MPLA regime stayed in power and a mercenary organisation in a cowardly manner switched sides resulting in the death of Dr Savimbi .Oil money talked and the Angolan people still suffer as a legacy of Communist war criminals many thousands of miles away.

[@Jackmonkey66666hghinnv]

Hey just saying it’s been like that for alot longer than 50 years think back to like 1100 years ago and then keep going for another 1000 or so all the way until humans first existed and the start is probably around that point it’s unfortunately as old as war itself has existed and prostitution

[@0.yz87]

اللهم احفظ بلادي اليمن 🇾🇪❤️.

[@ayoubchaouch191]

One of the best investigative documentaries produced.

[@zosa6403]

Great work in journalism!

[@ali.almahbashi]

Nawal this is incredible 👏🏻

[@graceofislam6004]

Amazing Documentary, I only wished an Emirati official would be one of the interviewees. As a security manager working for INGO in Yemen back then, we always baffled to assess the risk of assassinations as its initiators were uncertain; but something that always helped ! Studying the victims, their political stand, affiliation and Aligning the interest of why/whom would benefit from them being killed ... We Yemenis have been at wars on each others throats since Dawn of times. However, when a foreign country comes in under pretence they come in piece & wants the locals best interests; they dont get to hire guns and kill our people just because they do not like what they say😡😡 I remember one of those assassinations was a journalist and his pregnant wife ! The IED was under passenger seat. As soon as the wife get in , the explosion was so big, they picked up the fetus 100 meters away. The poor man survived ! I wouldn't have wanted to live after my wife and baby are killed.

[@2967575]

Bunch of bullshit everyone knows thats this is a made up documentary and the Yemenis are being threatened 24/7 in yemen by the houthis for speaking the truth they are forced to lie

[@markstewart4501]

To the Religious, religion will be used as the excuse. To the nationalist, nationalism will be used as the excuse. To the pacifist, pacifism will be used as the excuse. To those that ACTUALLY know the weakness in their ideology...they learn to deflect or never reason with themselves again. Is it, "devil in the details", or "the devil has details"? Heck, "the devil made me do it"...why not? Greed is the grand motive all choices. Think. Feel. We serve money, and anyones god is the excuse.

[@2967575]

Those assassinations were made by the Houthis and bbc knows it and knows that the list provided was a houthies hit list they just want to frame the Emirates and everyone knows it , why didn’t the bbc blame the houthis for what they’ve done, false imprisonment, kidnapping, raping , theft , assassinations and bombing innocent civilians

[@MOVIEGUY925]

Btw when Isaac says ‘Circumstances beyond his control’ he means CIA intervention.

[@jtremblay100]

I think the German hessian mercenaries thought they were fighting evil terrorists during the American revolution also.

[@tedzehnder961]

I doubt it, they gave up very easily to the Americans.This war against Islamic extremism isn`t about wanting to stop independence movements for Muslim dominated states.Otherwise Iran wouldn`t exist or Saudi Arabia or the Palestinian people.ISIS and groups like them want to kill anyone that isn`t their type of Muslim.

[@MagWildwood-gn6qe]

Nah, they were just in it for the money and a break from eating sauerkraut every day. Most of the ones that survived settled in America. Just the sort of people a newish country needs.

[@ClairSable]

They were.

[@erickariuki6842]

Houthis are brutal!!! They are not freedom fighters, they are just like Hamas. They treat the population like they are nothing

[@fasteddie9055]

Those are America's foundling heroes. Be careful with that strange comment. Qualify your conclusion. Conclusory statements lacking analysis indicate a lack of knowledge of the subject matter or a lack of English writing skills. (or both of the aforementioned). @@ClairSable

[@TheBastarrrd]

The mercenaries are clearly didn't care from how they were speaking 😢

[@nimcom.5396]

Next time Western white people ask "Why are they coming here?" Maybe this will answer their question.

[@johnshackford]

No, we'll ask why they are not going to other Muslim nations say like Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt etc....Yeah that's right because they don't want them either. Tell me this why should the west be the dumping ground for the worlds displaced Muslim population. There are 60 Muslim Majority countries they could go to. Maybe you should ask why those nations aren't taking them before criticizing Americans for not wanting them BTW IT'S NOT WHITE AMERICA IT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL OF AMERICA AT THIS POINT BECAUSE WE ARE TIRED OF BEING THE DUMPING GROUND FOR THE WORLDS HOMELESS. maybe you should read about how Islam conquerors nations. They do it through mass immigration over time slowly breeding out the indigenous population. People who take the time to dig know this already too bad you don't.

[@dedeferreira98]

That makes no sense. This are people hired by foreign governments. They arent representing any nation

[@davidcurson5206]

Brilliant journalism! Please take care❤

[@maxsmith3580]

what journalism ? It was mostly a mashup of 'believe my source' and 'leaked documents' that would be inadmissible in any court of law. She cherry picked parts of other interviews and got some 'muslim brotherhood' activist types to make it look plausible. Now had she gone and done some Journalism inside the Houthi held territory, one would have called that Journalism. This is a Turkish sponsored hit job at best.

[@aleksandarradulovic0307]

Journalism? Bro this is literally the worst propaganda for brainless people from the west.

[@MCXM111]

Isaac is a coward. Hiding his chicken heart in a steroid body.

[@darrinculpepper6579]

People are always tuff and bare chested behind their key board. Say that to his face.

[@joeyjoejoe314]

@@darrinculpepper6579 remember the mercenary that refused to meet his target after he failed. That guy is the chicken

[@mr.y981]

​@@darrinculpepper6579 I bet he has ED from all the injections he's pumping

[@mikeferrini8884]

@@darrinculpepper6579 True cowards resort to threats of violence because they lack the intelligence to seek resolution any other way.

[@NeostormXLMAX]

Nah he looks like the classic el goblino amerimutt phenotype lmao

[@koshisunuwarrai]

It's simple Saudi Royals and UAE's Royals don't want anyone to challenge or change their authority over the country.

[@deanweaver4469]

Great journalism 🤠

[@LeHarlequinGaming]

Amazing investigative journalism

[@kevinmaingi4836]

Great piece of investigative journalism...I love BBC, the African section did amazingly well on the piece "disciplines" ...I love BBC

[@zombiehampster1397]

As a US citizen, those US mercenaries are just insane/psychopathic to me. Just crazy how they simplify/justify their crimes.

[@allens9876]

I'll buy you a one-way plane ticket to Yemen so you can check it out and see how the people treat you if you want. Wait, that's right, Yemen is a level 4 no fly zone...........

[@corettamohohlo5445]

Exactly It's pure insanity And just heartless

[@MB2.0]

​@HoLeeFook68 can you name one instance of Wagner backing Al Qaeda like you do?

[@MB2.0]

​@HoLeeFook68 spoiler: You can't, not that it matters though, since the fact that you Use fkn Wagner as a moral backdrop to try to look better already says volumes 😂😂😂😂

[@Wolfighter1]

@@allens9876 yup I agree

[@MOVIEGUY925]

Also, there is no such thing as an ‘AMERICAN MERCENARY’ Mercenaries; in the role of mercenaries are stateless only loyalty is to the client, of whom can be from any country, group, region, religion.

[@ne0rcx]

Real weird how t he DOD keeps hiring these mercenaries. Its almost like these guys can do illegal things and then face no consequences. Its why they label anyone they kill a terrorist. So you can get away with a lot more.

[@function0077]

@@ne0rcxAs an American voter, I am against the use of mercenaries. I want transparency and accountability from my government so I can make good decisions about who does and doesn't deserve power (i.e. who I vote for). If it is truly worth doing, it can be done thru official channels (e.g. diplomatically, militarily, etc.).

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

But they are Nationals with Citizenship (in this case Americans) trained with our Tax Dollars in our Military. It goes way deeper than that in many cases, but the bottom line is our tax dollars are being used for bribes and kickbacks to Politicians, Military Brass, Military Industrial Complex Companies, and Mercenary company owners such as the people behind Blackwater and Spear.

[@function0077]

@@Sovereign_Citizen_LEOLEO, as in the acronym for law enforcement officer? Is your screen name ironic or sincere? Because if it is sincere, then isn't it an oxymoron?

[@kyledraper1800]

PMC's should be banned worldwide. Fighting foreign fights solely for profit is despicable.

[@MrChuckwagon55]

I wish all military’s weren’t needed. A world without constant war would be refreshing. I lost really good friends, highly intelligent, incredibly talented, loyal beautiful human beings in Iraq 20 years ago FOR NOTHING. For profit for weapons manufacturers. They thought they were helping Iraq become free and happy, and they just threw away their lives. Iraq would probably be safer today if we just never invaded and left Saddam alone. Same thing with the Taliban. They are 1000 time powerful now with more modern high tech weapons than any country needs, and all the good people who died for nothing. That’s why I never joined, knew they just thought your life was meaningless, and even if you live, they treat you horribly after. The VA is a joke, most guys are screwed up in the head, die young from breathing in all the crap in the air from firing weapons and bombs going off. Garbage pay. I knew all this because Mr father, uncle, grandfathers, and further back were treated like sub human animals. They use you up and spit you out when they’re done with you. War isn’t like Hollywood movies, it’s not “cool” it’s horrible and torture, especially when you have garbage leadership. Even the most elite special operations soldiers get treated like shit. Delta Force ?I know several former Delta operators who were very accomplished and respected when they were at the Unit)? Very elite, almost impossible to make it into, the food is better, job is much more dangerous, it makes you dangerously addicted to adrenaline rushes that don’t go away when you retire, it’s so common Delta actually has a name for it, “operator syndrome” where you depend on that near death super fast adrenaline rush from the insanity of the job, but don’t have it anymore but you’ll still addicted to it, so many guys replace it with super hard drugs, incredibly dangerous behaviors like BASE jumping, getting into violent fights, anything to get that feeling they became addicted to and need, and many die from it or go to prison. You’d think the most elite, well funded SOF Unit would have some transition training or post job therapy - nope - just bye and good luck. Even though it’s the all might Delta Force, same shit pay, except even less time with your family, statistically the most likely job to die in in the entire military, because you get the hardest, most insanely difficult missions against the most dangerous, best trained enemies too. And since it’s a black Unit, if you pull of some miracle or something amazing, you can’t tell anyone about it because it’s secret- not even your wife. And because it’s this super overly competitive “tough guy” culture, you’ll almost never get compliments from other guys, because of the culture and jealousy that you did when nobody else did. The most is some worthless medal.I used to admire Delta because they are widely regarded as the most elite, most talented, greatest soldiers on earth (even said by British SAS, DEVGRU, etc) but when I became friends with some of them, they opened up to me about it. One even said it took part of his soul away and wouldn’t do it again if he could go back in time - that really blew me away). Some guys are just built for a job like that, most normal intelligent humans aren’t even if they excel at the job, it eventually catches up with them). I’ve only met one guy from Delta who had zero problems leaving, and he had zero issues killing civilians families by himself on solo missions in Afghanistan if he thought they would alert the Taliban that he was really an American disguised as an Afghani. He could kill anyone with zero feeling and immediately fall asleep. That’s rare. Most guys can’t do that without it messing you up. You retire from Delta or die, thanks for donating your best years of your life to us! Bye! That’s it. Even if you stay for the 20, you get a shitty pension, probably will have several divorces, PTSD and anger issues. Killing is an unnatural act, it screws most people up unless they are a psychopath, most guys just act like it doesn’t bother them but it does. You get very unhealthy amounts of low sleep that destroys your brain after a while, the constant fake tough guy act, screaming, being brainwashed (you have to be brainwashed or as they call it “indoctrination” because no sane person would voluntarily live a miserable existence like that). There’s a reason why the recruiters target almost exclusively young kids 17-18, because they are too young and naive to know what they are getting into. When they do, it’s too late, they’ve already signed the contract, they are screwed for the next 4 years. Happened to one of my best friends, he said he would have rather been in prison. He wanted to be a “Navy Seal” but the recruiter lied to him and intentionally had him sign the wrong contract to be stuck on some tiny shit cleaning toilets and swabbing decks every day for 4 years. And he was an absolute stud who had been training for it for over a year. Now, if he wanted to be a SEAL, he had to wait 4 years after clean king toilets on some tiny miserable ship. He was 25 at the time, so he went AWOL and somehow his mom knew a JAG lawyer and after a month in some lockup the lawyer pulled a miracle and got him out (a one in a million). He was a really tough hard dude, and he got all emotional and freaked out even talking about how horrible it was. What he hated the most was these total loser drill instructors abusing their rank and power to abuse him all the time for fun. He was a big, muscular jacked dude, and they were little nerds who constantly abused and bullied him because they knew they could get away with it and he couldn’t do anything. In the middle of the night during his 4 hours of allowed sleep they’d wake him up screaming, and make him clean all the toilets (just him when everyone else was still in bed sleeping) just because he was built like an NFL linebacker (he’s actually a super nice guy and hates bullies, so these instructors were probably bullied and were taking it out on him even though he ever bullied anyone) and just destroyed his soul based on his physique. He said it was hell on earth and still to this day can’t talk about it. He said when he went AWOL (the last day before graduation) with another guy too) he said he didn’t care if he went to jail, he’d rather be in jail then the Navy - yeah, that bad. At least in jail I guy like him could defend himself (probably wouldn’t have to because nobody would mess with him to begin with because he was such a monster). Even at the highest levels, except for maybe generals (who are really politicians not soldiers) is a miserable existence with horrible pay and probably a stressful horrible home life with your family. Probably lots of screaming from your wife because your gone all the time etc. Of course, there are some out there that enjoy this weird, bizarre, unnatural existence, but most don’t. I realize the importance of having a strong military and admire and respect the soldiers, but I could never be one, because I know what it’s like from my family and friends who have served. Almost all young kids who sign up have no idea what they’re getting themselves into. And today our government just uses them and overuses them to make money from the military industrial complex from massive contracts, at the expense of some really great people. Sorry for the rant, just feel so sorry for all these good folks who get treated like crap and risk their lives unnecessarily.

[@SuperGreatSphinx]

​@@MrChuckwagon55 WAR IS A RACKET

[@howecreative]

The music track on this is so loud that the compressor is ducking the master limiter, and it’s making the voiceover really quiet. You can barely hear the voiceover at points. Amateur hour on the audio. Which is a shame, as this is one of the best bbc documentaries I’ve seen in a long time.

[@user-xh8sr8qk9i]

It sucks.

[@abdiganiaden]

Relax, its still very easy to listen

[@f1o18iwi9]

true, strange how a company so huge as bbc makes mistakes like that.

[@thvtsydneylyf3th077]

yeah its a rushed production but another propa.gandah piece by the notorious maps bbc

[@waldemarsikorski4759]

Not true, I don't have any issues.@@f1o18iwi9

[@Michaelwelsch1977]

How can I get signed up to help?

[@rileywolf69]

That bald guy is a super dangerous man. Wow

[@UserAbc247]

Honestly you can see the evil in his face. Im literally fuming.

[@bonyanjamall2394]

يا الله وكمية الوجع بس وسط كل هذا الوجع نوال المقحفي وهدى الصراري بطلات يمنيات خلني اشعر بكل مشاعر الفخر ❤

[@thesub-5man725]

shut up

[@nufb2000]

This reporter had a clear agenda and outcome before she started this doc, too bad, missed opportunity for real journalism

[@kjcb78]

Would have been a better vid if you could have toned down volume on the background music, so we could hear the narrator journalist! Her voice was way too soft with all the other noise!

[@Notfunnysam]

The differences between the wealthy and the poor in Yemen are stark.

[@JoesephJuice-cp5tz]

Have you been to New York? Have you ever left your home? Where do you live? Appalachia?

[@HavingFunYet-zc8wb]

you are funny ..last time in 60's Brits and Houthis fought ..they kicked your BUTT !!! .. this time , technology allows them to bring war to your front door ol chap"

[@mahmoudezzat6805]

that is right and in many countries also in the region

[@pvtmalo3217]

@@JoesephJuice-cp5tz Where do you live?

[@thvtsydneylyf3th077]

they can just iran for food instaed of bombs i guess. you choose your struggles. some ppl are just hooked on struggle

[@kamalajaykumar]

Amazing Documentary

[@CarlWicker]

I like the first mercenary to be interviewed and the mid life crisis beard dye.

[@timzittlow6647]

That dude is more bad ass than you or I could wish go be..I doubt he's in any crisis

[@The88Cheat]

If there wasn't video of him doing this shit, I would have assumed he was a wannabe toughguy lol

[@norrisdanville]

Dude was Delta force. He ain't playing

[@guerrillaninja]

It's taboo to go to the media. They all know it. I bet Golan is pissed that he was put on blast.

[@mikethomas3069]

He's the type of guy that would kill you with his ear hair... He makes chuck Norris run

[@missk1942]

Bravo, investigative journalism at it finest, how wonderfully you facilitated the subjects in revealing their true essence, riveting.

[@lifeisneverthesame910]

😂🤣😂🤣🤡🤡

[@matcabliii]

loooool

[@taniahaque6493]

The American mercenaries are big , bold and laud strong guys, they consider themselves very brave and fearless, but when they asked to face a simple, weak old person, they runway. Because they knew they cannot face him. The truth is thousand time stronger than physically strong coward.

[@ejr3331]

I thought that too, they hide behind their bombs and their guns and their twisted way to justify their murders but cannot sit with a man they attempted to assassinate and give answers to his questions. That shows the level of their immorality.

[@abdiganiaden]

That’s clearly not all Americans These are just ex soldiers who could barely fit back into society even if they tried so are doing all this for quick buck

[@Reno_Slim]

They're highly trained, ex-special forces who know exactly what they're doing.

[@jayd6813]

@@abdiganiaden But the fact that Americans do not denounce the killing of people (over 1 million in just Iraq alone) on the other side of the Earth with ZERO threat to them shows the wickedness in most Americans' hearts.

[@abdiganiaden]

@@jayd6813 Americans are more open about their past mistakes more than most other culturally sensitive nations.

[@christiancarrillo4037]

Wow. Just wow. Good reporting great reporting actually. Way to go on this!

[@HornHelp]

Please, this is not just a documentary cinematic work, and you may watch it while evading daily difficulties, but remember this represents the pain and crying of grief for hundreds of families of Yemeni victims for an entire decade. The Emirates, regardless of Dubai's adornment and modern urban beauty, is a country thirsty to sabotage and destroy neighboring countries such as Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and others. Al-Qaeda and the UAE share one characteristic: they go to any place that suffers from instability and lawlessness, and then they make everything worse than before. Oh Allah, Lord, help the oppressed.

[@zack256300]

The UAE are probably funding Al-Shabab too .

[@mohammedabobakr6549]

Nawal and her reporting are absolute gems, they must be protected at all costs.

[@MM-gk1tm]

Low empathy seems to make it easier to pass the responsibility to someone else... if you really care about the people your actions are affecting you make it your business to know.

[@shawnramsay1851]

In the end he didnt have the courage to go meet the man they tried to kill?????

[@Jackmonkey66666hghinnv]

Yeah that was pretty crap I was hoping he would actually be true to his word on that

[@biff408]

@@Jackmonkey66666hghinnv probably he was told by some official or lawyer not to go

[@Jackmonkey66666hghinnv]

@@biff408 yeah don’t get me wrong there was no point in him going because he wouldn’t be able to answer any questions the guy would have asked on camera unless he lied through his teeth so nobody would really have anything to gain out of that but still kinda a loser act to pretend like he was going and at the airport ect knowing he was never going

[@dr-enoch]

@@Jackmonkey66666hghinnv Yup. These mercenaries pretend to be tough, but they are cowards at heart.

[@Jackmonkey66666hghinnv]

@@dr-enoch yeah I don’t doubt most are in general i think the vast majority or people in any army and civilians are all cowards for the most part depending on where you want to draw that line but it’s extremely rare to find someone who is truly 100% not a coward imo atleast everyone’s scared of something and even the toughest people may not admit it but if they really thought they were about to die surely they would have to feel atleast a little afraid right? Idk just assuming i luckily haven’t had to be in such a rough situation to know

[@jeremiasrobinson]

Crazy audio mix. The music is a little LOUD compared to the narration sometimes.

[@yannicanguelov3170]

Thats top tier journalism right there

[@christineotieno7880]

The world is so violent. Wow. In such a world where everyone is pushing their own interests, who knows who is saying the truth or half-truths?

[@HKim0072]

I like this statement and agree with it. Geopolitics is extremely messy. I'm American. Qatar outwardly are allies, but behind the scenes does some questionable behavior. Saudis leadership "generally" are allies with us, but the many of the Saudi population isn't. We've been allies with Egypt for decades and supporting with military aid and they almost sent weapons to the Russians. lol, we sold weapons to the Iranians secretly in the 1980s.

[@Jackmonkey66666hghinnv]

@@HKim0072geopolitics is literally just word salading political alliances for their gain until a better looking gain becomes available hence how one day your best bros with with your neighbour and then a few days later you don’t have a neighbour anymore because you jumped ship for a better deal and to add to the op the world is a lot more violent than any of us alive today realise me included we are an extremely violent species that is capable of unbelievably horrific acts if the wrong people are in positions to do so and there are lots of wrong people in all kinds of things all over the world

[@user-io6cv1pm9r]

As a Yemeni I knew that long time ago This is just for the people who don't know how evil uae is Look at whats happening in Sudan because of the uae They even support Israel

[@nisreennur481]

A Terrorist but they call the victim a Terrorist to justify their actions We really don't buy it anymore

[@dennisobst3685]

That’s what I call journalism! Uncomfortable and shocking honestly but that’s the truth and everyone should know 💪

[@davedean3968]

why isn't Saudi Arabia mentioned in this? we were bombarded with guilt trips about Saudi's war in Yemen for a few years... easy for journalists to rip on western allied forces, but there's not a lot of backbone to go at Saudi specifically. which is where it's all obviously funded from. rip khashoggi

[@jsmoo1206]

You literally answered your own question when you put RIP Khashoggi.....

[@MB2.0]

Khashoggi was a cia asset btw. The only reason why there was a peep about his death

[@MB2.0]

And by the way the Saudis arent mentioned because it focuses on mostly the UAE. The saudis are just as guilty as the UAE + Westerners

[@kentershackle1329]

scared of MBS...

[@MB2.0]

@jsmoo1206 btw Jamal Khash was a cia asset, which is the only reason why he made the news after getting dealt with. He isnt the innocent flower the West makes him out to be

[@ManGolden786]

The Haters, the Criminals with Moneys, open checkbooks to say x is a criminal, go and X-off that so called bad guy😮😢 What a world we have become! Its really sad.

[@T-19-]

This is the tip of the iceberg. This sort of thing is so common we don’t even know it.

[@dxux4679]

What a coward. His strong enough to pull the trigger but he isn't up to watch his victims in the eyes. Shame on you. Everyone pays for his bill sooner or later.

[@davidp-er5ym]

Fun Fact! Tough guy Dale has to sleep with one eye open and constantly be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his pathetic life.

[@eggbenedict-gt7mw]

He is in usa not yemen

[@mikeferrini8884]

@@eggbenedict-gt7mw He lives in Indonesia. And he sleeps with the ocean to his back.

[@eggbenedict-gt7mw]

@@mikeferrini8884 how u know

[@LouiejayMalayas-do7pl]

Oh we got a autistic fatherless who lives under mommy's basement keyboard warrior here

[@haise1748]

@@eggbenedict-gt7mwdale posts on social media and has done a lot of interviews. Dale Comstock is his name

[@wiltonvenant5826]

BBC!? You surprised me😂. The reporter Nawal Al-Maghafi is a magnificent and courageous woman. As far as the terrorists/mercenaries they will reap the consequences of their evil deeds.

[@Ur_killin_me_smalls]

My dad was hired by royalists in 67. Driving trucks for the royal Scot Greys. Not entirely sure how he got contracted bc he's from Brooklyn nyc and not in any military ever. It was supposed to be this secret humanitarian gig that paid well. 10 minutes into it he realized he was lied to. He watched is re al and uk do horrific things to innocent people. Like whole families wiped out for absolutely no reason other than to ter r ori ze. He didn't tell anyone until his last days. World trade center syndrome got him. He was fdny captain.

[@goeleet]

Excellent documentary.

[@MarebAlward]

Good work will help those who want to know a side of what happened in Yemen in the last 10 years. This documentary will provide an understanding of the objectives of the countries that intervened in the war and why the Houthi did not lose until today. We need more of these serious journalistic works that give people explanation, context, information and officials at events.

[@Alsalihy2000]

Thank you BBC and thank you to brave journalist Nawal and his colleagues in the channel.

[@ofcourseofcoursebutmaybe]

audio level balancing could be better... nice doc.

[@kingpintech5783]

IT'S ALL ABOUT FUEL

[@NeverAgain-vo7pd]

Fascinating reporting. Did anybody notice her mentioning Mohammed Dahan (former Fatah guy who was considered to be a future leader of the PA) and his connection to the UAE? Thought she was going somewhere with that thread but she never developed it.

[@wolfetone8380]

Remember Fatah lost the election to Hamas where fighting began between the parties and Hamas ultimately won pushing fatah out of the Gaza strip completely. They are traitors to the Palastinian cause and it was no surprise there to see his name mixed with Israeli businessmen. Disgraceful

[@Hippobottomless]

Yea ikr she should of dive more into his story. It’s rumored he’s a mossad agent with strong ties to Israel hence why he hired that Israeli guy golan who then hired spear. Dahlan is also very close with the crown prince of UAE possibly the #2-3 guy in UAE. Crazy world we live in

[@EM-tx3ly]

Dahlan for correction

[@NeverAgain-vo7pd]

@@HippobottomlessDahlan spent A LOT of time in Israeli jails and lots of blood on his hands. The rumors of him being Mossad is just a rumor and promulgated by Fatah and Hamas. The same things have been said about Bargouthi. My guess is that we see Dahlan and Barghouthi play major roles in the future PA.

[@nopt1118]

Those are the Palestinian leaders who have sold their people's cause to Israel for money; I understand they live in luxury.

[@mustafelmi4331]

Is this how yemeni people should back down, hell no, they are strong people and will be always and for ever

[@taylorog7703]

IM PROUD TO BE A MUSLIM ALHAMDULILLAJ

[@arbaz79]

Great Documentary 👍.

[@NasdaqSniper_]

These western criminals must be held accountable and look at the crimes committed here. WOW

[@maribel238]

lol, yeah right.

[@yasalli9813]

Just nothing compares to the big reality

[@supersayianjim2]

guess the houthis arent so bad after all.

[@kakealicios1370]

Thanks bbc for the documentary. Can someone explain to the difference between a hitman and a mercenary

[@coyyiddo1701]

A mercenary is a professional soldier employed by goverments...

[@coyyiddo1701]

And hitman is AGENT 47

[@kelleylynch4490]

A mercenarry is merely a glorified thug gunman for hire.

[@flyingfetus4364]

None

[@MOVIEGUY925]

@@coyyiddo1701 No a mercenary is a stateless private entity who works for money, he or she has no allegiance to anyone but the client. A hitman is just a more localised word for the same thing, but often doesn’t do broad elaborate assassinations, more rather poisoning and covert kills

[@TheMrmoc7]

This was a masterful piece of Journalism by the BBC, I am very impressed.

[@zeropointenergy777]

The bald guy’s prefrontal cortex doesn’t seem to have fully developed, though he is doping.

[@DrumsBah]

I suspect it's been eroded from copious amphetamine abuse. If you listen to Ep 397 of SOFREP radio podcast you can hear him ramble about this very incident tweaking out of his mind.

[@RS-rz9xj]

Loved being in Yemen...what a drag all of this is.

[@hejdu13337]

This guy is actually one of the guys that rescued Kurt muse in Panama in 89

[@NormEngel-ge2it]

Can these guys not be arrested for murder?

[@kelleylynch4490]

They should be but why aren't they? They are confessing to murder - bragging - in a video.

[@russellhammond371]

In the context of a war in which the UAE hires them, the culpability is a lot more complicated than "guy commits murder." They were the guys given intelligence and marching orders, not scoping out the targets.

[@manavprotimburagohain4257]

Events taking place in foreign Soil not in 🇺🇲

[@emileblanche5868]

By that line of thinking every soldier is a murderer. What’s your opinion of Ukrainian soldiers fighting against the Russian army?

[@robtorres5518]

​@@manavprotimburagohain4257U. S. citizens are held to U.S. law, whether you're employed by a McDonald's, a tech company, international hotel or the military. Their willingness to agree to this video is baffling.

[@eliassrg]

No wonder ! For sure, that is only the tip of the iceberg..

[@joemangi9743]

Amazing documentary. Its a pity the background music(NOISE) ruined the whole experience... just horrible

[@vagrantwanderer5810]

Pathetic attempt at heroism.

[@OPFOR-SQUAD]

"WATCH WHAT YOU SAY" -UAE

[@nopt1118]

That was a cold-hearted monster threat. Right?

[@MM-gk1tm]

Maybe but also can be viewed as a warning to her... she is risking both of their lives so it doesn't have to be malicious. As the attorney stated later the watchmen themselves are being watched. @@nopt1118

[@michaelsmith-re2ge]

Has anything changed from Operation Gladio? Why is it whenever the US get involved terrorism increases. It really is puzzling....

[@nbeizaie]

Really? They west funds them so what is puzzling about it?

[@johndoe-vc1we]

No, it doesn't increase. It gets dissipated. Look at IS after Mosul.

[@michaelsmith-re2ge]

@@johndoe-vc1we and yet IS or is it ISIS or another BS western acronym to funnel the narrative of good and evil, not profit and loss. They are so hard to tie down know aren't they. Almost like how did they migrate to Syria and get treated in Israeli hospitals?

[@MB2.0]

​​@@johndoe-vc1we Look at The Sahel and Libya right now. Look at Syria + Iraq right now.

[@johndoe-vc1we]

@@MB2.0 Libya is upto the euros to explain. I never got a clear answer as to why that operation was carried out. But Iraq was a win. Syria was not due to Russian intervention. Sahel is for the French to sort out. Operation Serval was a success. Less so with Barkhane.

[@oomstu]

Great documentary, pity the audio is so bad when the narrator speaks...

[@FromWithin526]

so this is what call of duty is about

[@YoungCub]

Yes but those guys are run by the actual army. Google task force 145

[@Cue_D_ball]

Is there a way that we can arrest him for treason? Let’s look into that.