Military officials in the oil rich Yemeni province of Marib confirmed on Sunday two suspected U.S drone strikes led to the death of eight people on Saturday evening. So far the local authority has only been able to identify two of the victims, one being Ismail Jamil, a well-known al-Qaeda militant. It is not yet clear whether the other casualties were as well terror operatives or innocent standers-by.
Three out of the eight bodies were charred beyond recognition reported officials, making identification impossible.
U.S led drone strikes in Yemen are growing ever more unpopular as collateral casualties and damages to properties are increasing exponentially with the frequency of the attacks.
Moreover, activists and politicians have argued that beyond the illegality of such military operations - contrary to international laws on national sovereignty - from a purely judicial standpoint, the attacks were playing right in the hands of Islamists in the region as well as fueling anti-American sentiment.
To make matters worse, al-Qaeda has been running an eye for an eye campaign in Yemen, targeting military and security officials for every U.S drone attack conducted against its operatives, making Yemen's war on terror a costly one in terms of lives lost.
Despite calls for a new anti-terror strategy, Washington is insisting drones are still its best bet, deaf to all critics.