Elite 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.



Rea full story here www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/21/elite-forces-us-raid-syria-james-foley-failed

Mek dem go kamikaze on em

Now this is a military with ballz . Our own na to dey lie for NTA dem sabi. .

i believe the elite forces are the highly classified seal team 6. The team that killed osama and also rescued the American ship captain. Could it be the the isis militants are more resilient than the seal team?