An American photojournalist and a
South African teacher were killed Saturday during a
high-risk, U.S.-led raid to free them from al Qaeda-
affiliated militants in Yemen, a turbulent Arab country
that is a centerpiece of U.S. counterterrorism efforts
in the region. The predawn raid was the second rescue attempt in
as many weeks to free Luke Somers, a 33-year-old
freelance photographer and editor kidnapped just
over a year ago in Yemen's capital. South African Pierre Korkie, abducted 18 months ago
with his wife in the city of Tazi, also was killed by
militants as U.S. forces descended upon the militants'
compound in southern Yemen. A South African aid
group trying to negotiate Korkie's release said he
was a day from freedom after a deal late last month that included a "facilitation fee" to the kidnappers.
The relief organization had told Korkie's wife that
"the wait is almost over." President Barack Obama said he ordered the raid
because Somers was believed to be in "imminent
danger." The president, in a statement, condemned
Somers' killing as a "barbaric murder," but did not
mention the 56-year-old Korkie by name, offering
condolences to the family of "a non-U.S. citizen hostage." The South African government said it was
informed that Korkie died during the mission by
American special forces. "It is my highest responsibility to do everything
possible to protect American citizens," Obama said.
"As this and previous hostage rescue operations
demonstrate, the United States will spare no effort to
use all of its military, intelligence and diplomatic
capabilities to bring Americans home safely, wherever they are located." About 40 American special operations forces were
involved in the rescue attempt, which followed U.S.
drone strikes in the area, U.S. officials said. The
rescuers, backed by Yemeni ground forces, advanced
within 100 metres of the compound in Shabwa
province when they were spotted by the militants. A firefight ensued. Amid the fighting, U.S. forces saw a militant briefly
enter a building on the compound. U.S. officials
believe it was then that Somers and Korkie were
shot. When Americans entered the building, they
found both men alive, but gravely wounded. Officials said that based on the location where
Somers and Korkie were being held, there was no
possibility that they were struck by American
gunfire. U.S. forces pulled Somers and Korkie onto V-22
Ospreys, and medical teams began performing
surgery in midair. One hostage died during the short
flight; the second died after the Ospreys landed on
the USS Makin Island, a Navy ship in the region. The raid was over in about 30 minutes. U.S. officials disclosed details of the mission on the
condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to publicly discuss the raid. Saturday's operation was the second rescue attempt
by U.S. and Yemeni forces to bring Somers home
alive. On Nov. 25, American special operations forces
and Yemeni soldiers raided a remote al Qaeda safe
haven in a desert region near the Saudi border. Eight captives, including Yemenis, a Saudi and an
Ethiopian, were freed. Somers was not at that
location. He and five other hostages had been moved
days earlier, officials later said. Roughly a dozen people are believed held by al
Qaeda militants in Yemen. On Thursday, al Qaeda militants released a video
showing Somers and threatening to kill him in three
days if the United States did not meet the group's
unspecified demands or if another rescue was
attempted. U.S. officials said that threat prompted Obama to
move quickly. Using information obtained during the
first raid, U.S. officials believed Somers was being
held Shabwa province, a stronghold of al Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula, the terrorist group's Yemeni
branch. Officials believed a second hostage was there, too, but did not know it was Korkie. By Thursday evening, the Pentagon had sent the
White House a proposed plan, which Obama
approved the following day. Officials alerted Yemen's
President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who gave his
support.

Sad

borntosave:
Sad

Na the way I just dey see am.....

Who is to published the amount of children and women who died from the illegal drones the American govt mount in their territory.