The families of victims who lost their lives in a U.S. drone strike that hit a convoy headed to a wedding party in Yemen last year have reportedly received compensation for their loss.
According to court documents signed by Yemeni officials, which the Washington Post received through the London-based human rights organization Reprieve, relatives of those killed or injured in the drone strike on Dec. 12 of last year have received upwards of $1 million. The payments were paid by the Yemeni government, but according to one of Reprieve's legal representatives the size of the payment indicates Yemeni authorities were reimbursed by the United States.
The documents appear to indicate that civilians without ties to militants of al-Qaeda were among those affected by the strike, The Washington Post also details.
According to Yemeni officials, more than a dozen people were killed in the strike on Dec. 12 when their party was mistaken for an al-Qaeda convoy, Reuters reported at the time. While the source of the strike was not identified, the local officials claimed it was carried out by a drone. The U.S. government refused to comment on this specific assault.
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimates the United States has carried out dozens of drone strikes in Yemen since 2002. This past April, three suspected U.S. attacks in the country killed at least 40 people, which the Bureau said was the "bloodiest spate of strikes since 2012."
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