Family of dead US militant, son criticizes strikes
Anwar al-Awlaki, a leading member of al-Qaida's Yemen branch
MAAMOUN YOUSSEF, AP
CAIRO — A statement from the family of a Yemeni militant and his son, both U.S. citizens killed in separate airstrikes, criticizes the American attacks as unjustified.Anwar al-Awlaki, a leading member of al-Qaida's Yemen branch, was killed in a Sept. 30 airstrike. His son Abdul-Rahman was killed along with six others on Friday.
In the statement posted Tuesday on a militant website affiliated with al-Qaida, the family said the son was just 16 years old and was searching for his father when he was killed.
"The American administration is trying to absolve itself of killing innocents," the statement said.
There has been some criticism of the killing of the militant because he was a U.S. citizen, but the Obama administration has defended it as legitimate anti-terror activity.