The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. officials defend Yemen raid plan
News reports that militants were alerted disputed.
The Pentagon and White House on Thursday defended the planning and execution of a U.S. Special Operations raid in Yemen that killed civilians and resulted in the death of a Navy SEAL, saying there was sufficient intelligence to carry it out and that it had been planned for months.
Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said the civilians were killed Saturday by gunfire from aircraft supporting the SEALs after they came under heavy fire by militants. The dead were said to include the 8-year-old daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki, the U.S.-born cleric and a propagandist with al-Qaida’s affiliate in Yemen who was killed in a 2011 drone strike.
“The enemy had gone to a building and taken up fighting positions in that building to fire on our troops who were on the ground conducting this operation,” Davis said.
The operation was launched under cover of darkness in the village of Yaklaa, a stronghold of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula that was defended with land mines and guarded by armed militants. A fierce firefight erupted and a Marine Osprey aircraft sent to rescue wounded SEALs was so badly damaged it had to be destroyed to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
Davis and White House press secretary Sean Spicer disputed allegations, reported by Reuters and the New York Times, that the mission was poorly planned and had lost the element of surprise. The Times reported that the SEALs intercepted a transmission that revealed the militants were preparing for their arrival.
Spicer said the plan for the mission was first submitted to the Defense Department by U.S. Central Command on Nov. 7, one day before the presidential election. A plan was approved by the Pentagon on Dec. 19 and turned over to the White House. Obama administration officials approved the plan during an interagency meeting Jan. 6, two weeks before President Donald Trump’s inauguration, and decided it would be best to carry it out in the dark of a “moonless night,” Spicer said, confirming a detail against the advice of other U.S. officials, who cited operational security of potential future missions.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis reviewed a memo on the plan Jan, 24. Trump was briefed on Jan. 25 and authorized it Jan. 26, Spicer said.
Spicer defended the mission as a “successful operations by all standards,” despite the loss of life, saying the intelligence gathered would ultimately protect American lives.