WASHINGTON — Female fighters were among the roughly 14 Qaeda militants killed in an American commando raid in central Yemen over the weekend, the Pentagon said on Monday, seeking to explain a number of reports that civilians died in the nearly hourlong firefight.

A member of the Navy’s SEAL Team 6 was killed and three other commandos were wounded in the operation early Sunday, the first authorized by President Trump since he took office on Jan. 20. The Pentagon identified the commando who died as Chief Petty Officer William (Ryan) Owens, 36, of Peoria, Ill.

After initially denying there were any civilian casualties, Pentagon officials backtracked somewhat on Sunday after reports from the Yemeni authorities begin trickling in and grisly photographs of bloody children purportedly killed in the attack appeared on social media sites affiliated with Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen.

Capt. Jeff Davis, a Defense Department spokesman, told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday that the military was “assessing” the claims that civilians were killed in the surprise dawn raid that targeted the compound of a suspected Qaeda leader in Yemen, Abdulrauf al Dhahab.