TOP al-Qaida leader in Yemen Nasr bin Ali al-Ansi blamed US President Barack Obama today for the recent deaths of two hostages in a failed rescue operation.

US citizen Luke Somers and South African Pierre Korkie were killed when special forces attacked an al-Qaida safe house attempting to spring the pair.

Mr Ansi said that he had warned Washington against such attempts after a failed rescue bid in November.

He accused the US president of recklessness, saying that the raid had “caused things to go in a completely different way than we wanted.”

Mr Obama said that he had ordered the raid because journalist Mr Somers was believed to be in “imminent danger.”