A U.S. drone strike targeting al Qaeda suspects in Yemen killed 13 civilians , including three women , three security officials in the restive Middle Eastern country said . `` This was one of the very few times when our target was completely missed . It was a mistake , but we hope it will not hurt our anti-terror efforts in the region , '' a senior Yemeni Defense Ministry official told CNN . The official asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue . The United States typically does not comment on reports it has used unmanned aircraft to target terror suspects , but is widely believed to be doing so in Yemen , a key battleground against al Qaeda . More : Suspected U.S. drone strike kills 4 in Pakistan . Families of the victims closed main roads and vowed to retaliate . Hundreds of angry armed gunmen joined them and gave the government a 48-hour deadline to explain the killings , which took place on Sunday . Eyewitnesses said that families attempted to carry the victims ' corpses to the capital , Sanaa , to lay them in front of the residence of newly elected President Abdurabu Hadi , but were sent back by local security forces . `` You want us to stay quiet while our wives and brothers are being killed for no reason . This attack is the real terrorism , '' said Mansoor al-Maweri , who was near the scene of the strike . The strike took place near the town of Rada in al-Baitha province on Sunday , Yemeni officials said . A senior Defense Ministry official said the strike initially targeted two members of al-Thahab clan who lead the terror network 's operations in the province . He said the militants were in a vehicle near the one that was hit , and fled unharmed . At least 200 suspected al-Qaeda fighters are believed to be hiding in the province . Earlier this year , militants occupied Rada and declared it as an Islamic emirate . But two weeks later , they evacuated the town after authorities released al Qaeda prisoners . Residents are not denying the existence of al Qaeda elements in their region but say that misdirected strikes work in favor of the militant group , helping them recruit new operatives . `` I would not be surprised if a hundred tribesmen joined the lines of al Qaeda as a result of the latest drone mistake , '' said Nasr Abdullah , an activist in the district of the attack . `` This part of Yemen takes revenge very seriously . '' The latest attack was the fourth drone strike reported this week . The first three hit their targets , killing at least 12 suspected al Qaeda militants , according to Yemeni officials . Radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki , who was killed in September 2011 , is the highest-profile target of an American drone hit in Yemen to date . He was linked to several terror plots , including the shootings at Fort Hood in 2009 .
one people are killed in a strike that missed its target , an official says . Angry relatives try to bring the victims ' bodies to the capital , Yemeni . The Yemen is widely believed to be using drones against Defense Ministry in U.S. .