Fatal air strike hits wedding convoy in Yemen

[G_j]

http://m.aljazeera.com/story/20131212191745347541

Group was travelling to a wedding in central Yemen when it was allegedly mistaken for al-Qaeda fighters and hit by drone.

At least 13 people have been killed on their way to a wedding in Yemen by a suspected United States drone strike, local officials have said.

The air strike occurred on Thursday in the village of Qaifa, in Yemen's central al-Bayda province.

A military official told Associated Press news agency that initial information indicated the drone operators mistook the wedding party for an al-Qaeda convoy. He said tribesmen known to the villagers were among the dead.

Another security official said al-Qaeda fighters were suspected to have been travelling with the wedding convoy.

Media reports said that the strike left charred bodies on the road and vehicles on fire.

..more..

[Wilms]

1. Wow! I guess there really is a War on Marriage. n/t

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

2. When is my country going to stop

killing civilians and justifying it?

When is my country going to be brought up on war crimes?

[aptal]

3. This is sickening, just plain sickening.

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. That headline is remarkably passive, as if "fatal air strikes" were a natural phenomenon.

Somebody owns that drone, somebody ordered it to hit a target, somebody pushed a button. I wonder who.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Not to worry. The standard investigation will be launched and the standard apology issued.

And, the murderers will go unpunished.

[seveneyes]

6. al-Qaeda fighters were suspected to have been travelling with the wedding

Why would a group known for killing and maiming innocents be traveling with a wedding party? The article did not mention which branch of military the "military official" was affiliated with. Confirmation is always best when honestly confirmed.

[uponit7771]

7. In the back of my minds it's hard NOT to believe some of this shit is done on purpose & murderously

.... who's there to tell them no?!