At least 13 Yemeni civilians, including two women, were killed after missiles fired from a US drone hit two vehicles in Radaa in al- Bayda Province on Sunday. Three people were also injured in the attack.
According to Yemeni sources, the US drone mistakenly targeted the two vehicles.
"The US drone strike missed its suspected al-Qaeda target and mistakenly hit two vehicles in the Yemeni city of Radaa in al- Bayda province, killing up to 13 civilians, including two women," a Yemeni police official told Xinhua by phone.
"The targeted al-Qaeda leader, Raouf al-Dhahab, survived the attack as his car was far from the scene," he said on condition of anonymity.
Last week, at least 14 Yemenis were killed in US drone attacks east of Yemen. Yemenis have held several anti-US protest rallies in the capital and the northern city of Sa’ada in recent months to demand an end to the deadly US drone attacks.
Washington has been using its assassination drones in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia and claims that it is targeting terrorists, but the attacks have mostly led to massive civilian deaths.
The UN has slammed the US terror drone attacks as targeted killings and says they pose a challenge to the international law.
Reports, however, say that the CIA is seeking to expand its covert drone attacks in Yemen, despite the fact that the airstrikes mostly result in civilian casualties.
