At least 13 civilians including three women were killed in an airstrike which targeted their car in Yemen’s Baidha province on Sunday, local sources told Yemen Post.
The raid was carried out in the Manaseeh district in the Rada town, and the victims were all civilians and had nothing to do with Al-Qaeda or terrorism.
It was carried out by a US drone at a time when the Yemeni authorities are receiving direct support from the US including drone strikes to target Al-Qaeda operatives.
The misdirected airstrike has drawn wide public condemnation and made some locals announce their support to Al-Qaeda, the website quoted the sources as saying.
Earlier this year, a group of militants occupied Rada and declared it as an Islamic emirate but later they left after the authorities released Al-Qaeda prisoners.
Earlier today, the defense ministry said Khalid Batais, a key Al-Qaeda leader, was killed in an airstrike on Friday that killed also 8 other militants.
Many Al-Qaeda militants including senior leaders have been targeted by US drones in Yemeni southern and southeastern regions in the past months.
After driving Al-Qaeda militants out of their strongholds in Abyan and Shabwa provinces in May, the army launched a massive hunt for the remaining operatives across the republic. Tens of them and cells have been arrested so far including those in the capital Sanaa.
In what appeared to be retaliation for its defeat, Al-Qaeda has recently stepped up its deadly suicide bombings targeting military and security chiefs, personnel and offices in main cities including the capital Sanaa.