http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/21/elite-forces-us-raid-syria-james-foley-failedElite US military forces secretly invaded Syria
recently in a risky and ultimately unsuccessful
attempt to free US journalist James Foley before he
was killed by Islamic State (Isis) militants, the
Pentagon announced on Wednesday.
Confirmation of the failed night-time raid, which took
place earlier this summer, came after a day of sharp
questioning over whether the Obama administration
had done enough to save Foley's life. It represented
the first confirmation of US military operations within
insurgency-wracked Syria, where Isis gestated into
the jihadist organisation that has redrawn the
borders of the Middle East.
The raid involved dozens of special operations forces
from all US military services, including the 160th
special operations aviation regiment. US forces flew
into Syria in defiance of air defence batteries that
senior military officials have described as highly
threatening to pilots. Modified Black Hawk
helicopters were involved, and "armed fixed-wing
aircraft and drones" provided cover to forces on the
ground, said an administration official.
Yet the operation, which took place in an area of Syria
that officials declined to disclose, failed when "the
hostages were not present at the targeted location,"
said rear admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press
secretary.
Special operations forces got into a "firefight" with
Isis forces, an official said, killing "several" of them. It
took an unspecified amount of time for them to
determine that the hostages were not at the scene,
prompting a rapid departure. "They were shot at as
they were egressing. One person had a minor injury,"
the official said.
The official said that Isis "did not know who they
were fighting that night, and we assess Syria did not
know" about the secret incursion.
It is unclear how many hostages the elite troops,
which Kirby called "the best of the United States
military," attempted to free. At least one other US
journalist, Steven Sotloff, is known to be in Isis
custody. Disclosure of the unsuccessful operation
may have consequences for Sotloff, whom Isis has
threatened to kill unless the US ends its bombing
campaign against it.
US officials said on Wednesday there was concern
about Sotloff after he appeared in the same Isis
propaganda video depicting Foley's murder. US
warplanes struck Isis vehicles and weaponry near the
Mosul dam on Wednesday in tacit defiance of the Isis
threat.
With Sotloff's fate an open question, Kirby said in a
statement: "The United States will not tolerate the
abduction of our people, and will work tirelessly to
secure the safety of our citizens and to hold their
captors accountable."
White House counter-terrorism adviser Lisa Monaco
added: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the
remaining hostages' families and their loved ones
during this difficult time."
It is also unclear whether the intelligence on the
hostages' location was fundamentally flawed or
perishable by the time of the raid. Monaco said the
US had "what we believed to be sufficient
intelligence" justifying the strike.
Robert Caruso, a navy intelligence veteran, said Isis
and similar organizations "lie about where they are,
where they're going to be in two hours, and they
definitely don't talk about it on the telephone."
Caruso also questioned the wisdom of releasing
information about the raid.
"It's pretty cavalier for the administration to
condemn Snowden and turn around and endanger
the remaining hostages. That's not Opsec
[operational security]. I've taught it, to the military
and the state department. That's not Opsec," he said.
The US official, who was not cleared to speak for the
record, acknowledged the risk of the disclosure to
Satloff.
"There is concern that releasing this jeopardises the
hostages that remain, but a number of news outlets
got ahold of these details and were going to run with
this story," the official said, saying that the
administration was withholding significant details.
French journalist Nicolas Henin has described how he
had spent seven months in captivity with Foley in
Syria, including a week during which they were
handcuffed together.
Henin, who was released in April this year, told the
BBC he felt the UK and US governments were putting
their people at risk by not negotiating with the
terrorists, and that Foley, as an American, was "some
kind of scapegoat" for the terrorists.
Henin said Foley had coped better than others with
the conditions in captivity but had also been treated
differently. "Being an American he was probably
more targeted by the kidnappers. Well, he would be
beaten a bit more probably, he was some kind of
scapegoat," he told the BBC.
"Some countries like America but also like the UK do
not negotiate and, well, they put their people at risk."
Henin paid tribute to his former colleague and friend,
saying he had been generous with other captives if
they were cold or hungry. He said he was horrified by
Foley's killing but would focus on positive memories
from their time together.
"I will try to just remember few, very few
opportunities we had to laugh loud together – and it
did happen actually a couple of times," he said.

Every the consummate tactician, President Obama approved a mission that risked the lives of numerous airmen and special forces operatives, in order save a single American hostage within war-torn Syria.

That steely, determined resolve to protect the lives of ALL American citizens, and to spare NO expense in extracting them from danger anywhere in the world, is one of the hallmarks of a truly great nation that towers head-and-shoulders above the rest. America does NOT leave behind her wounded, nor does she forget the plight of the abducted.

The daring operation to save the abducted American journalist would ONLY have been publicized IF the raid had been successful, and the journalist saved from his diabolical captors. The acknowledgement by the Obama administration that this attempted extraction occurred at all was in effect necessitated by a need to counter those inevitable accusations that the US government did not do enough to save the now murdered journalist.

Absolutely. Obama wanted Americans to Know of his efforts to secure Foley using extra ordinary measures.Its a pity the help create the beast the fighting Today

Ibnsultan: Absolutely. Obama wanted Americans to Know of his efforts to secure Foley using extra ordinary measures.Its a pity the help create the beast the fighting Today

The ISIS beast created itself, Sultan, in just the same way as Nigeria's Boko Haram terror gang was assembled by its pay-masters.

Jakumo:

The ISIS beast created itself, Sultan, in just the same way as Nigeria's Boko Haram terror gang was assembled by its pay-masters.

The. Yanks along side there Gulf friends provided arms to Groups in SYRIA to fight Assad. These same Groups have seized part of Iraq killing civilians oppose to them

Ibnsultan: The. Yanks along side there Gulf friends provided arms to Groups in SYRIA to fight Assad. These same Groups have seized part of Iraq killing civilians oppose to them

The danger inherent in arming any group during a conflict is of course that allegiances could shift, and the weapons could ultimately fall into the wrong hands, so each such arrangement comes with its own element of risk, which must be weighed against the price-tag of simply doing nothing while forces of evil advance to claim strategically important territory.

Jakumo:

The danger inherent in arming any group during a conflict is of course that allegiances could shift, and the weapons could ultimately fall into the wrong hands, so each such arrangement comes with its own element of risk, which must be weighed against the price-tag of simply doing nothing while forces of evil advance to claim strategically important territory.

Americans trying to export democracy to region were its not needed. Check out libya After arming militia to remove Ghadaffi,libya today is in Chaos,Iraq ,Syria started by Arming militias in Aleppo. ISIL issue needs to be address from the root causes. Block there Cash,arms,manpower sources. Allowing the Arabs to choose there own type of Govt

Ibnsultan: Americans trying to export democracy to region were its not needed. Check out libya After arming militia to remove Ghadaffi,libya today is in Chaos,Iraq ,Syria started by Arming militias in Aleppo. ISIL issue needs to be address from the root causes. Block there Cash,arms,manpower sources. Allowing the Arabs to choose there own type of Govt

In the wake of the 911 terror attacks, the United States government came to realize that regimes known to be OPENLY hostile to the West, if permitted to exist unchallenged ANYWHERE in the world,could become breeding grounds for terrorist hordes capable of fanning out across the globe to wreak mayhem and kill innocent civilians by the thousand.

Uncle Sam is therefore presented almost on a weekly basis with dilemmas that force hard choices between the devil and the deep blue sea, leading on occasion to unforeseen and unintended consequences. Generally speaking, the perils and penalties of inaction are regarded as being greater and more assured than the side-effects and blow-back resultant from corrective actions taken in good faith.

Jakumo:

In the wake of the 911 terror attacks, the United States government came to realize that regimes known to be OPENLY hostile to the West, if permitted to exist unchallenged ANYWHERE in the world,could become breeding grounds for terrorist hordes capable of fanning out across the globe to wreak mayhem and kill innocent civilians by the thousand.

Uncle Sam is therefore presented almost on a weekly basis with dilemmas that force hard choices between the devil and the deep blue sea, leading on occasion to unforeseen and unintended consequences. Generally speaking, the perils and penalties of inaction are regarded as being greater and more assured than the side-effects and blow-back resultant from corrective actions taken in good faith.

SURE. But Ghaddafi was NO friend of Alqeada so was saddam. Kabul was the only friend to these crazy folks humm the US supported to fight the soviets. NOW the US is paying for removing Ghaddafi and Saddam as there Nations have become training Ground for its enemies. The just look the other way ones the Oil flow is not disturbed

Ibnsultan: SURE. But Ghaddafi was NO friend of Alqeada so was saddam. Kabul was the only friend to these crazy folks humm the US supported to fight the soviets. NOW the US is paying for removing Ghaddafi and Saddam as there Nations have become training Ground for its enemies. The just look the other way ones the Oil flow is not disturbed

You would make a good attorney, Sultan. Your arguments are solid, persuasive, and difficult to counter convincingly. With respect to the negative consequences that resulted from the overthrow of Ghadaffi in Libya, and the Taliban in Afghanistan, among others, there is no doubt that Uncle Sam did NOT intend for such negative outcomes to be produced by high-stakes military and political gambles embarked upon internationally.

Jakumo:

You would make a good attorney, Sultan. Your arguments are solid, persuasive, and difficult to counter convincingly. With respect to the negative consequences that resulted from the overthrow of Ghadaffi in Libya, and the Taliban in Afghanistan, among others, there is no doubt that Uncle Sam did NOT intend for such negative outcomes to be produced by high-stakes military and political gambles embarked upon internationally.

Haha. The Yanks are responsible for what. The get. You don't just go into another mans home with force an aspect him to say welcome. In the 70's during Murtala. The US was already in Phase 2 of carrying out attack on Nigeria because of Oil under pretense of removing communism but it was abandoned for supporting the Coup plotters. Only God knows what these country would have turn into. I don't support those Bandits in middle East along side there brothers in NE. But for world peace to reign the US,Russian and eastern block nations must stop arming groups in there proxy wars