U.S. belatedly reports rescue operation for U.S. hostages in Syria

Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The United States has reported a failed military operation in Syria.

The White House said U.S. special operations forces were sent to Syria to rescue American hostages of Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. Officials said the U.S. forces, directed by President Barack Obama, were unable to find the hostages, one of them beheaded by ISIL.

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with members of the National Security Council for an update on Iraq in the Roosevelt Room of the White House August 18, 2014 in Washington, DC. Obama returned from his vacation in Martha's Vineyard to attend the briefing which included (L-R) White House Counsel Neil Eggleston; Counselor to the President John Podesta; Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Obama, Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken; Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco and Assistant Deputy Director for Intelligence Integration at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Michael Dempsey.  /Win McNamee/Getty Images North America
President Barack Obama meets with members of the National Security Council on Aug. 18 after Obama returned from his vacation in Martha’s Vineyard to attend the briefing which included, from left to right, White House Counsel Neil Eggleston; Counselor to the President John Podesta; Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, Vice President Joe Biden, Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken; Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco and Assistant Deputy Director for Intelligence Integration at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Michael Dempsey. /Win McNamee/Getty Images North America

“The U.S. government had what we believed was sufficient intelligence, and when the opportunity presented itself, the president authorized the Department of Defense to move aggressively to
recover our citizens,” Lisa Monaco, Obama’s assistant on security and counter-terrorism, said. “Unfortunately, that mission was ultimately not successful because the hostages were not present.”

This marked the first reported U.S. military operation in Syria since the start of the Sunni revolt in 2011. Obama has rebuffed numerous appeals by the Syrian opposition and supporters in Congress for military intervention.

Officials said Obama approved a U.S. military operation to rescue several Americans abducted by ISIL in Syria. They said the National Security Council urged a rescue by special operations forces in eastern Syria amid an assessment that the captives were in immediate danger of execution.

“Given the need to protect our military’s operational capabilities, we will not be able to reveal the details of this operation,” Ms. Monaco said.

Officials said several ISIL fighters were killed in the U.S. operation, believed to have taken place in the northern Syrian province of Raqa. They said ISIL employed rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns toward U.S. troops and aircraft.

“We only went public today when it was clear a number of media outlets were preparing to report on the operation and that we would have no choice but to acknowledge it,” the National Security Council said.

On Aug. 19, ISIL released a video that showed the beheading of one of the American hostages, identified as journalist James Foley. ISIL has also threatened to execute another hostage, identified as journalist Steven Sotloff.

“The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next action,” ISIL said.

The Defense Department said the operation to rescue the hostages in Syria included air and ground operations. Neither officials nor the Pentagon disclosed how many Americans were believed to held captive by ISIL.

“This operation involved air and ground components and was focused on a particular captor network within ISIL,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

“Unfortunately, the mission was not successful because the hostages were not present at the targeted location.”

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