In an unprecedented disclosure the White House released information about a failed top secret mission to free U.S. hostages held in Syria. This has many politicians scratching their heads, wondering why in the world the White House disclosed the information? This is a breech of policy. Normally such sensitive material is kept secret for 50 years because it could impact National Security and make future rescue missions all the more difficult.
According to Al Jazeera (19 hours ago): “The U.S. military launched a secret mission this summer to rescue a number of Americans held captive in Syria by the Islamic State but failed to find them, senior White House officials said Wednesday night. The mission was carried out by several dozen special operations troops who were on the ground in Syria for a short time.
Announcement of the complicated mission came a day after the beheading of an American photojournalist James Wright Foley by the Islamic State (IS). He was one of the hostages the mission had hoped to extract.
The IS had demanded a multimillion-dollar ransom for Foley’s release, which the U.S. refused, the New York Times reported Thursday. The group has threatened to kill at least three other hostages it holds if its demands are not met, the report added.
Officials said the rescue mission was authorized after intelligence agencies believed they had identified where in Syria the hostages were being held. But the several dozen special operations forces dropped by aircraft into Syria did not find them at that location and engaged in a firefight with IS militants before departing.
The operation “involved air and ground components and was focused on a particular captor network within ISIL,” said Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby in a statement. (The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is a name previously used by the Islamic State.)
“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,” said Lisa Monaco, Barack Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser, in a statement. “Unfortunately, that mission was ultimately not successful because the hostages were not present.”
Obama the amateur trying to play politics again for his own personal agenda…plain and simple.
One has to seriously wonder about this report, conveniently issued as da Prez tees up for another round of golf.
Remember, this is the same Prez who claimed victory in Iraq, tells us our economy is good, tweaks the unemployment numbers, claims not a “smidgen” of corruption in the IRS, and promised us we could “keep our doctor” . . . . .
J. Soden you are so right on! If I may pile on, Obummer staged this as if to say, don’t blame me for this reporter guy’s beheading…not my fault. Either he’s looking for shelter, looking for a pat on the back or trying to dodge the issue completely.
Not only that, he claimed victory in Iraq after calling it a “dumb war” and and then declared al Qaeda “decimated” or “on the path to defeat” following the debacle in Benghazi. According to CNS News he made 32 separate such statements and:
He’s bored, he won, we’re done.
They are not. They have just gotten started. Thanks to Obama’s bungling they also have a lot of equipment and ordinance (about 6 divisions worth according to one military guy this AM). Seealso here.
If true, the president is an ass.
If false, the president is an ass.
If half true, the president is an ass.
There is no reason to reveal this story (or hoax) except from a political calculation. In this case a political miscalculation. The president is an ass. I prefer him to stick to the golf course, shut the hell up, and resign his office. If we are to have an ass for president, I’ll take Joe Biden.
“Our enemies, the terrorists, have never had it so good under this truly pathetic commander-in-chief who should be in Washington, D.C.
Mark Levin
http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/08/13/levin-%E2%80%98terrorists-have-never-had-it-so-good-under-truly-pathetic-commander-chief%E2%80%99
It’s shocking how many times this administration has leaked classified/secret information when it can be used for political gain and refused to release even court ordered information that would hurt them politically. Holder’s contempt of Congress charge comes to mind.
Is anyone else connecting the same dots from Benghazi to ISIS?
Benghazi, Libya CIA annex connected to shipping guns through Turkey to Syria. ISIS equipped with US armament in Syria for Iraq attacks and killings.