Reports: U.S. drone kills 13 in Yemen

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SANAA, Yemen, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- An airstrike carried out by a U.S. drone killed 13 civilians, including three women, the Yemen Post and Xinhua reported Sunday.

The Yemeni newspaper said its sources said the drone attack occurred Sunday at Rada in Baidhai province, striking a car carrying at least 13 people. The victims were not associated with al-Qaida or other terrorists, the Post said.

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported a provincial police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told it an unmanned U.S. aircraft was to blame for the strike.

"The U.S. drone strike missed its suspected al-Qaida target and mistakenly hit two vehicles in the Yemeni city of Rada in Baidai province, killing up to 13 civilians, including two women," the official told Xinhua by phone.

"The targeted al-Qaida leader, Raouf al-Dhahab, survived the attack as his car was far from the scene."

Meanwhile, the Yemeni Defense Ministry said al-Qaida leader Khalid Batais died in an airstrike Friday along with eight other militants, the Post said.