Pentagon says civilians were "likely" killed in U.S. raid in Yemen

PanARMENIAN.Net - Civilians were "likely" killed in a U.S. commando raid in Yemen over the weekend and children may have been among the dead, the U.S. military's Central Command said, according to AFP.

The January 29 raid against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has garnered wide attention because a Navy SEAL was also killed and several more wounded in what marked the first operation of its kind authorized by President Donald Trump.

A Yemeni provincial official had previously said 16 civilians were killed in the raid -- eight women and eight children -- but CENTCOM did not provide any numbers.

"A team designated by the operational task force commander has concluded regrettably that civilian non-combatants were likely killed in the midst of a firefight during a raid in Yemen January 29. Casualties may include children," CENTCOM said in a statement.

The civilian deaths appear to have occurred when U.S. aircraft were called to help the commandos as they conducted the dawn raid that U.S. officials have said killed 14 AQAP members.

"The known possible civilian casualties appear to have been potentially caught up in aerial gunfire that was called in to assist U.S. forces in contact against a determined enemy that included armed women firing from prepared fighting positions, and U.S. special operations members receiving fire from all sides to include houses and other buildings," the statement read.

Officials were conducting an ongoing "credibility assessment" to see if there may have been additional civilian casualties in the intense firefight.

Navy SEAL Team Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens, 36, was killed and three other U.S. troops were wounded in the action.

Three more service members were injured when the tilt-rotor aircraft they were in made a hard landing.

That aircraft, a V-22 Osprey, was then intentionally destroyed by U.S. troops to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.