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 Pierre Korkie, 56, and American journalist Luke Somers, 33, died
of wounds after being shot during a special forces raid intended to
free Somers shortly after midnight on Saturday. Washington says they
were killed by their captors, members of al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula (AQAP).
Another 11 people, including a woman, a 10-year-old boy and a local
al Qaeda leader, were also killed during the raid in the village of
Dafaar in Shabwa province, a militant stronghold in southern Yemen.
Gift of the Givers, a relief group negotiating Korkie's release on
behalf of his family, said the teacher had been due to be handed
over on Sunday, hours after the raid.
U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard said Washington
acted swiftly to free Somers because it had information that he was
going to be killed by his captors.
 "We were unaware of negotiations for the release of Pierre Korkie
and we were also not aware that Pierre Korkie was being held in the
same space as Luke Somers," Gaspard told 702 talk radio.
U.S. officials have said they were aware a second hostage was at the
location but did not know that it was Korkie.
Gift of the Givers and Pierre's wife Yolande, who was released in
January after being held with her husband, said they didn't hold the
U.S. responsible.
"There is no accusation toward anybody. Mrs Korkie is not in a
position to say they (U.S.) were wrong," Korkie family spokesman
Daan Nortier told Reuters.
"Mrs Korkie, as a Christian, applies the biblical principle of
forgiving ... even for his captors."
Korkie's body was due to be repatriated to South Africa by U.S.
authorities later on Monday, Nortier said.
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Gift of the Givers spokesman Imtiaz Sooliman confirmed that
Washington had not been informed about the negotiations.
"I don’t judge them for making the raid or have any anger toward
them. They were working in the best interests of their citizen,"
Sooliman told Reuters. "Any other government would do something
similar."
AQAP, formed in 2006 by the merger of the Yemeni and Saudi wings of
al Qaeda, has for years been seen by Washington as one of the
militant movement's most dangerous branches.
Western governments fear advances in Yemen by Shi'ite Muslim Houthi
fighters with links to Iran have bolstered support among Yemeni
Sunnis for AQAP, which has established itself in parts of Yemen,
including Shabwa where the raid took place.
At least two more hostages are being held by the group.
(Editing by Peter Graff)
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