‘No bad decisions’ in Yemen raid

US general says inquiry into civilian deaths complete

WASHINGTON // A top United States military commander for the Middle East said there were no bad judgment calls in a Yemen operation in which up to 12 civilians and a navy Seal were killed.

Gen Joseph Votel, head of the US central command, said he saw no need for further investigation after a review of the mission. Gen Votel told the senate armed services committee that a separate investigation into civilian casualties found that between four and 12 innocent people were killed.

The January mission was the first authorised by president Donald Trump and triggered debate in Washington over what went wrong and whether important intelligence was actually gathered.

During the raid on Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, US special forces came under heavy fire. Chief special warfare officer William Owens was killed, six American service members were injured and a helicopter was damaged. Among civilian fatalities was the eight-year-old daughter of Anwar Al Awlaki, a radical cleric and US citizen who was killed by a drone strike in 2011. Mr Trump, who honoured Owens’ widow during his speech to congress last week, has repeatedly defended the raid as highly successful.

He told congress that it “generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemies”.