On July 30, 2009, three soldiers were killed in a clash with al-Qaeda militants in Marib province. On December 17 the village of Al Ma`jalah was hit by a cruise missile which killed 41 people, including 14 women and 21 children; 14 were alleged al-Qaeda members. While the Yemeni government initially took responsibility, photographs of American components and a WikiLeaks cable suggested that it was carried out by the United States. ABC News reported that US cruise missiles were part of the camp bombardment targeting Abu Hureira Qasm al-Rimi. According to a local official and a tribal source, 49 civilians (including 23 women and 17 children) were among those killed in the strike. That day, a clash between security forces and al-Qaeda members in Abhar left four militants dead.