Johannesburg: Pierre Korkie was supposed to be released Sunday from 18 months of captivity in Yemen, under a deal struck by an aid group.

Instead, his widow is mourning her "dearest friend and companion, torn from me and the children", after he was killed Saturday, along with American photojournalist Luke Somers, during a United States-led rescue attempt. Ten al-Qaeda militants were also slain in the raid, Yemeni security officials said.

About 40 US special operations forces were involved in the half-hour rescue attempt in Shabwa province, which followed US drone strikes in the area east of the capital of Sana'a, US officials said. After a firefight with militants, the rescuers eventually reached the men and found them alive but gravely wounded. They both died soon after as medics tried to save them.

Yolande Korkie, a former hostage and wife of Pierre Korkie, appealing in January for the release of her husband. Photo: AFP

Mr Korkie's body was being flown back to South Africa and was scheduled to arrive Monday, the government said. Yolande Korkie said that would help her and the couple's two children, Peter and Lize, reach "some sort of closure".

Advertisement

President Barack Obama said he ordered the raid because Mr Somers was believed to be in imminent danger. On Thursday, al-Qaeda released a video showing Mr Somers and threatened to kill him in three days if the US did not meet the group's unspecified demands.

No American soldiers forces were killed or seriously injured in the raid. Yemen's government said four of its soldiers were wounded.

Hope turned to horror for the family of Pierre Korkie. Photo: AP

Mr Korkie was kidnapped in the Yemeni city of Taiz in May last year, along with his wife, who was doing relief work there. She was released in January without ransom, after negotiations by the South African humanitarian relief group Gift of the Givers.

Before the rescue attempt, tribal leaders in the Yemeni city of Aden were preparing to fetch Mr Korkie. His captors dropped their ransom fee of $3 million after realising Mr Korkie and the negotiators had no money. Instead, Gift of the Givers had raised a $200,000 "facilitation fee" for the tribal leaders working with the al-Qaeda militants to release Mr Korkie.

"I think they realised after 11 months that we were not lying," Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of the relief group, said. "How can a teacher from an ordinary South African family raise that kind of money? He's an ordinary guy from a farm."

Yolande Korkie did not blame anyone for her husband's death.

"Will we win anything if we hate and accuse? Will this return Pierre to us? No," she said.

"So today we choose to forgive. We choose to love. We choose to rejoice in the memories of Pierre and keep him alive in our hearts."

The health of Mr Korkie, a 56-year-old teacher, had deteriorated rapidly in captivity. He was  partially deaf and had a hernia, kidney damage and problems with his urinary system.

Gift of the Givers came to the aid of the Yorkies after it learned the couple had been kidnapped where the group ran a famine relief program. Mr Sooliman said the al-Qaeda militants believed at first that they were Americans.

A Yemeni national working for Gift of the Givers led the negotiations with al-Qaeda, working with Ibrahim Ibrahim, South Africa's former deputy foreign minister, and tribal leaders.

"We said, `keep a very soft tone, build trust, build relationships, show them the work we have done'," Mr Sooliman said.

He did not blame the US government, saying it was only trying to save Mr Korkie and Mr Somers.

Yolande Korkie thanked Gift of the Givers and the Yemeni tribes who negotiated with her husband's captors.

The South African government sent its condolences to the family and friends of Mr Korkie for their loss. Condolences were also conveyed to The family and loved ones of Mr Somers.

AP