12-7-2014
A British-born American photographer kidnapped by Al Qaeda was just seconds from being rescued by US special forces before being shot dead by his captors yesterday.
US Navy SEALs, mounting a dramatic rescue bid, crept to within 100 yards of a compound in a remote mountain hideout in Yemen where the hostages were being held.
The mission was ordered by Barack Obama after terrorists had on Thursday threatened to kill photographer Luke Somers, 33, within 72 hours.
Last night Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond paid tribute to Mr Somers, saying: ‘Luke had close links with the UK and his family have spoken about Luke’s life and his work, and that is how he should be remembered.
‘My deepest condolences are with the families of both hostages at this time. We utterly condemn AQAP for the brutal murder of these two men.’
The dramatic raid was launched under cover of darkness following a desperate search for the terrorists’ hideout.
A team of up to 20 Navy SEALs then watched the Al Qaeda compound in the village of Wadi Abadan for 24 hours, fine-tuning preparations for the raid.
On Friday evening, up to a further 80 Navy SEALs and Yemeni troops were flown from a US ship in the Arabian Gulf and touched down at a secret landing zone near the village.
According to US and Yemeni reports, a dramatic firefight took place after a villager spotted their advance and raised the alarm just as the Navy SEALs were poised to snatch the hostages.
The heavily armed Navy SEALs sprinted from house to house, surrounding the compound and shooting up to ten suspected terrorists.
US commanders appealed for the terrorists to surrender, as an official explained: ‘They called on the kidnappers to give themselves up because they were surrounded on all sides.
'But the kidnappers immediately killed two hostages, which prompted the forces to open fire on the kidnappers. They tried to give first aid to the hostages but they had lost their lives.’
Navy SEALs stormed the compound, killing the guards and recovering the fatally wounded Mr Somers and Mr Korkie.
Read Full Article at DailyMail
US Navy SEALs, mounting a dramatic rescue bid, crept to within 100 yards of a compound in a remote mountain hideout in Yemen where the hostages were being held.
The mission was ordered by Barack Obama after terrorists had on Thursday threatened to kill photographer Luke Somers, 33, within 72 hours.
Last night Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond paid tribute to Mr Somers, saying: ‘Luke had close links with the UK and his family have spoken about Luke’s life and his work, and that is how he should be remembered.
‘My deepest condolences are with the families of both hostages at this time. We utterly condemn AQAP for the brutal murder of these two men.’
The dramatic raid was launched under cover of darkness following a desperate search for the terrorists’ hideout.
A team of up to 20 Navy SEALs then watched the Al Qaeda compound in the village of Wadi Abadan for 24 hours, fine-tuning preparations for the raid.
On Friday evening, up to a further 80 Navy SEALs and Yemeni troops were flown from a US ship in the Arabian Gulf and touched down at a secret landing zone near the village.
According to US and Yemeni reports, a dramatic firefight took place after a villager spotted their advance and raised the alarm just as the Navy SEALs were poised to snatch the hostages.
The heavily armed Navy SEALs sprinted from house to house, surrounding the compound and shooting up to ten suspected terrorists.
US commanders appealed for the terrorists to surrender, as an official explained: ‘They called on the kidnappers to give themselves up because they were surrounded on all sides.
'But the kidnappers immediately killed two hostages, which prompted the forces to open fire on the kidnappers. They tried to give first aid to the hostages but they had lost their lives.’
Navy SEALs stormed the compound, killing the guards and recovering the fatally wounded Mr Somers and Mr Korkie.
Read Full Article at DailyMail
No comments:
Post a Comment