File photo of Luke Somers, an American photojournalist who was killed by Al-Qaeda in Yemen. (Associated Press)
An American photojournalist held by al-Qaeda militants in Yemen has been killed in a failed rescue attempt, his sister said today.
Lucy Somers told The Associated Press that she learned of her 33-year-old brother Luke Somers' death from FBI agents. There was no immediate comment from Washington, nor from security officials in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.
"We ask that all of Luke's family members be allowed to mourn in peace," Lucy Somers said.
Yemen's local al-Qaeda branch, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, posted a video Thursday that showed Sommers, threatening to kill him in three days if the United States didn't meet the group's demands, which weren't specified. He was kidnapped in September 2013 from Sanaa.
The news of the failed rescue comes after a suspected US drone strike in Yemen killed nine alleged al-Qaeda militants early today, a security official said. The drone struck at dawn in Yemen's southern Shabwa province, hitting a suspected militant hideout, the official said. The official did not elaborate and spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to brief journalists.
At least six suspected militants were killed in an airstrike in the same province last month. Later today, tribal leaders said they saw helicopters flying over an area called Wadi Abdan in Shabwa province.
American authorities rarely discuss their drone strike campaign in Yemen. The strikes are incredibly unpopular in Yemen due to civilian casualties, legitimizing for many the attacks on American interests.
In an online video released today, Lucy Somers described her older brother as a romantic who "always believes the best in people." She ended with the plea: "Please let him live."
In a statement, Somers' father, Michael, also called his son "a good friend of Yemen and the Yemeni people" and asked for his safe release.
In a statement Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm John Kirby acknowledged for the first time that a mysterious US raid last month had sought to rescue Somers but that he turned out not to be at the site.
The US considers Yemen's al-Qaeda branch to be the world's most dangerous arm of the group as it has been linked to several failed attacks on the US homeland.