US Drones Kill 15 in Yemen Wedding Convoy, mistaking them for al-Qaeda

Juan Cole 12/13/2013

CIA operators of US drones in Yemen mistook a wedding convoy for al-Qaeda on Friday, killing 15 persons and wounding many others. Some 10 were killed immediately and 5 more died from their wounds.

Al-Quds al-`Arabi, a London-based daily, talked to a member of the wedding party, who said that it is impossible that the wedding party contained al-Qaeda operatives.

South Yemen has witnessed an intractable al-Qaeda presence.

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About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page