US drone assault on Yemeni wedding: criticism of dangerous 'error' hits Internet

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Notwithstanding heated emotions directed contrary to the US worldwide as a result of civilian deaths from US drones, the attacks have continued. On December 12 an American UAV "mistakenly" murdered 17 people attending a marriage in Yemen. Images from local media surfaced a week ago on social networking depicting graphic consequences of the deadly mistake. Criticism and debate online over the utilization of drones in Yemen has widened whilst the attack has been dissected.

Citing local security authorities, Reuters reports that people attending the wedding "were killed in an air strike after their party was mistaken for an al-Qaida convoy."

The attack, which occurred in Yemen's central al-Baydah province, was definately not the very first American strike in the region — the US is estimated to have carried out at least twelve strikes against suspected al-Qaida targets in the province since the start of 2012. It had been, however, the very first time one of many strikes had made the grievous mistake of hitting a wedding.

Considering that the attack, debate online over the utilization of drones in Yemen has widened since the attack has been dissected. Human rights groups and others criticized the US for the drone policy and questioned its effectiveness in fighting terrorism. Following the attack on the marriage convoy, Kenneth Roth, the executive director for Human Rights Watch, quoted previous remarks from the Obama administration about drone use and targeting:

Though it didn't mention a particular attack in Yemen, the UN approved on Wednesday a draft resolution to make sure that the usage of "remotely piloted aircraft" complies with a country's obligations under international laws, including those who deals with distinguishing the targets. A Yemeni-born blogger for Global Voices wrote that opposition to the drone strikes shouldn't be confused with support for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, utilizing the group's acronym AQAP:

Iona Craig, a Times of London correspondent located in Yemen, visited the scene of the strike in addition to a medical facility and interviewed witnesses at both places, sharing one or more image of a young child she was told had lost his father in the attack.

The Yemen Times reported this week that the Yemeni government had given guns and money to the families of the victims of the drone strike, in that which was referred to as a "rare case of arbitration."

And Parliament voted for a ban against the utilization of drones in Yemen, as Nasser Arrabyee, a reporter for The New York Times, noted on Twitter. However it wasn't clear as to the extent it'd affect the flights, if at all.

Adam Baron, a freelance journalist based in Yemen, also highlighted the outstanding questions:

The New York Times