Yemen: 10 civilians killed as air strike hits wrong target

Ten civilians were killed in a Yemeni government air strike that had apparently missed its intended target – a car carrying Islamist militants – residents and tribal officials said yesterday.

The attack on Sunday prompted angry protests by relatives of the victims. The impoverished country has become a key battleground for the US in its war against al-Qa'ida militancy. The country has been in turmoil since an uprising against veteran ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh began in January last year. He stepped down in February.

Officials initially said a US drone had killed five people in the attack on Sunday evening. But residents said yesterday that a Yemeni warplane had hit a car, killing 10 people, including a 40-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter. "The car that carried the al-Qa'ida militants happened to pass in the same place where the civilian car was," a tribal official said.

Reuters