A US ambassador says America did not know about a deal to free a South African who was killed in a failed rescue attempt hours before he was due to be released.
Pierre Korkie died along with American hostage Luke Somers in the US-led raid in the Shabwah region on Saturday. They were killed by their al Qaeda captors, 10 of whom died in the raid.
South African relief organisation Gift of the Givers said they had negotiated with the militants for Mr Korkie to be freed and they had told his wife Yolande that he would be home soon.
The 56-year-old teacher was due to be released on Sunday, the group said.
But Patrick Gaspard, the US ambassador in South Africa, said America was "completely unaware of those developments and had to act hastily" to free Mr Somers.
Mr Gaspard also said the US did not know that Mr Korkie was being held in the same location as British-born Mr Somers.
The ambassador said it was "not altogether clear" to him that the South African government was even aware of the talks.
Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, which was working on behalf of the Korkie family, said a deal had been struck with al Qaeda to free Mr Korkie.
Mr Gaspard said the US had not been informed about the deal and it had decided to carry out the raid because the militants had threatened to kill Mr Somers.
President Barack Obama said he authorised the raid because information "indicated that Luke's life was in imminent danger".
Yemen's national security chief, Ali al Ahmadi, said the militants planned to "execute" Mr Somers on Saturday.
The militants had released a video on Wednesday threatening to kill Mr Somers within three days if their demands were not met.
The 33-year-old appeared in the footage saying he feared for his life.
Mr Korkie was taken hostage by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in May 2013 along with his wife.
She was released earlier this year, reportedly following mediation by the Gift of Givers charity.
The couple from the South African city of Bloemfontein had worked as teachers in Yemen for four years at the time of their capture.
The South African government said it had undertaken "numerous initiatives" to secure Mr Korkie's release.
But the official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, said the government should "urgently engage with American representatives to get to the bottom of the circumstances that led to Mr Korkie's death".
Mr Korkie's body was being flown home to South Africa on Monday.
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