The Kentish family of a British-born journalist, killed by Yemeni Al-Qaeda militants in a failed US rescue bid, have spoken of their loss.

US President Barack Obama authorised an attempt to free Luke Somers and South African teacher Pierre Korkie because intelligence revealed their lives were in imminent danger. But the mission in the country’s Southern Shabwa region today ended in tragedy.

Luke’s step-mother Penny Bearman, who lives in Deal, said Luke was very loved by the people in Yemen.

“Luke was a peace-loving person who cared for the Yemeni people and the Yemeni struggle.

“It’s a tragedy that his life should end in this way.”

Luke was abducted in September 2013 in Yemen’s capital Sanaa by militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), regarded by the US as one of the deadliest offshoots of al-Qaeda.

Rescue missions are notoriously dangerous. A number of militants were shot in the attempt.

It has been reported that senior US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AP news agency that they believed both men were shot by their captors as the raid unfolded, and eventually died of their injuries.

Both hostages were alive when US forces rescued them, pulling them onto a plane that flew to a nearby US naval ship. But Mr Korkie is believed to have died during the flight, while Mr Somers died on the USS Makin Island.

President Obama offered his "thoughts and prayers" to the families, saying: "Their despair and sorrow at this time are beyond words".