IleJadi - It's something you don't often hear from the leaders of a terrorist group known for violence: We're sorry.
But that's just what the head of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said in a video message Sunday, apologizing for a hospital attack in Sanaa earlier this month that left dozens of people dead.
The attackers were directed not to assault the hospital or mosque in an attack against a Yemeni Ministry of Defense compound on December 5, but one fighter made a mistake and attacked the hospital, leader Qassim Al-Raimi says in the video.
"We confess to this mistake and fault. We offer our apologies and condolences to the families of the victims," Raimi said in the video, which was published by al Qaeda media outlet Al-Malahim. "We did not want your lost ones; we did not target them on purpose. This is not of our religion or our morals."
Footage shows Yemen gunman open fire
It's unusual to see "such a direct, fast, public apology" from al Qaeda, CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen said.
"Al Qaeda leaders seem to be waking up to the fact that if they position themselves as the defenders of Muslims, their large-scale killing of Muslim civilians needs to stop," Bergen said.
The apology comes after Yemeni government officials released surveillance video showing the hospital under attack.
The surveillance footage showed patients nervously looking out of the hospital windows, then running after an explosion.
In another clip, patients and staff huddle in a hallway. They watch as an attacker walks calmly toward them, activates an explosive and lobs it in their direction.
"We saw what the Yemeni channel broadcast: a gunman entering a hospital . ... We did not order him to do so, and we are not pleased with what he did," Raimi said. "Moreover, it wronged us and pained us, because we do not fight in this manner."
The U.S. government has designated al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula as a foreign terrorist organization and says the group has orchestrated "numerous high-profile terrorist attacks." (cnn)
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