Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has issued an unprecedented public apology for a major attack early this month on the Yemeni Defense Ministry compound’s hospital, an attack which killed 52.
AQAP insisted they’d warned fighters involved in the attack not to hit the hospital, but conceded that at least one of their fighters hit anyhow. They offered an apology for the incident and pledged “blood money” to compensate the families of victims.
The apology came following the release of a video on Yemeni state television showing the gunman in question attacking hospital staff. The attacker, who has not been named, was reported killed in the fighting.
AQAP insists that the Defense Ministry was targeted because of an on-site US drone control room, which they regard as a “legitimate target.” There is no confirmation that this is the case, and most US drone operations are carried out far away from combat zones.