Donald Trump has lost another US Navy Seal- he's failing the troops
Families of US Navy Seals are all grieving today- all of them- after it was announced that yet more of this elite force were killed and injured by operations in Somalia.
Several US military suffered in the Somalia operation and at least one US Navy Seal was killed.
This is no time to be taking victory lapses while American Navy Seals are in harms way. Why doesn't Donald Trump order more "drone" attacks?
A Navy SEAL was killed and two others were wounded during a raid targeting a remote compound used by Shabab militants in Somalia, U.S. defense officials said Friday.
The SEAL, who was not publicly identified, is the first U.S. service member killed in combat in Somalia since the infamous "Black Hawk Down" battle in 1993 that left 18 U.S. military personnel dead, according to the Pentagon. (On January 21, 2017, one day after the inauguration of Donald Trump, US Navy Seal Senior Chief Petty Officer Ryan Owens was killed in the failed Yemen attack. In fact, the US Congress has not thoroughly investigated what caused the impaired communications during this attack. Instead, Rep. Trey Gowdy has focused on the compulsive use of the word "felonious" to worry about White House intelligence leaks.)
Officials said the U.S. force was accompanying Somali National Army soldiers during an assault on a Shabab compound near Barij, about 40 miles west of Mogadishu, the Somali capital, when they came under attack before dawn Friday. (You can bet this defensive response was the result of leaks to the attackers....)
The militants were "associated with some attacks on facilities that we use and that our Somali partners use nearby," said Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.
He said the Americans were there to "advise and assist" the Somali government troops and were not part of the team assigned to enter the compound. (HELLO? But it sure seems to me like the US Navy Seals were specifically targeted...)
After U.S. helicopters dropped Somali troops outside the compound, a firefight broke out. The Americans couldn’t take cover immediately and were hit during an "early phase of the mission," Davis said.
The episode comes as the U.S. military expands operations against Shabab, which is allied with Al Qaeda. The group has carried out lethal bombings and attacks across Somalia and neighboring Kenya for more than a decade.
Last month, the White House granted the Pentagon broader authority to launch airstrikes and conduct operations against Shabab than during the Obama administration.
But Davis said the Barij raid was carried "under the same authorities that we've had since we began our operations there in 2013, which is to advise and assist on these types of missions."
U.S. Africa Command has provided intelligence, training and logistical support to the Somali army and to African Union troops battling Shabab since 2013. Hundreds of U.S. special forces rotate through Somalia annually.
U.S. drone strikes have killed several of Shabab's top commanders, according to U.S. assessments.
The Sunni Muslim militia overran Mogadishu in 2006 after its fighters had ousted local warlords. The group then enforced strict Islamic law and it was illegal to play soccer or listen to music.
African Union troops retook Mogadishu in 2011 and drove Shabab from many towns in the south, including major ports that had provided significant revenue. But it remains a potent force in some rural areas.
The SEAL marks the fourth U.S. service member killed in combat since last Friday in conflicts around the globe.
Moreover, two Army Rangers were killed during a battle against Islamic State fighters in eastern Afghanistan. A paratrooper also was killed in the fighting to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from Islamic State.
Donald Trump is responsible for this tragic turn of Somalian events.
Republicans are acting smug, like they've made some big deal accomplishment about taking health insurance coverage away from desperate Americans who pay the Affordable Care Act premiums. Meanwhile, the fact is, US Navy Seals were putting their lives on the line in Somalia during this "bravado on steroids" following the forced vote on removing health care for millions of paying beneficiaries.Several US military suffered in the Somalia operation and at least one US Navy Seal was killed.
This is no time to be taking victory lapses while American Navy Seals are in harms way. Why doesn't Donald Trump order more "drone" attacks?
A Navy SEAL was killed and two others were wounded during a raid targeting a remote compound used by Shabab militants in Somalia, U.S. defense officials said Friday.
The SEAL, who was not publicly identified, is the first U.S. service member killed in combat in Somalia since the infamous "Black Hawk Down" battle in 1993 that left 18 U.S. military personnel dead, according to the Pentagon. (On January 21, 2017, one day after the inauguration of Donald Trump, US Navy Seal Senior Chief Petty Officer Ryan Owens was killed in the failed Yemen attack. In fact, the US Congress has not thoroughly investigated what caused the impaired communications during this attack. Instead, Rep. Trey Gowdy has focused on the compulsive use of the word "felonious" to worry about White House intelligence leaks.)
Officials said the U.S. force was accompanying Somali National Army soldiers during an assault on a Shabab compound near Barij, about 40 miles west of Mogadishu, the Somali capital, when they came under attack before dawn Friday. (You can bet this defensive response was the result of leaks to the attackers....)
The militants were "associated with some attacks on facilities that we use and that our Somali partners use nearby," said Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.
He said the Americans were there to "advise and assist" the Somali government troops and were not part of the team assigned to enter the compound. (HELLO? But it sure seems to me like the US Navy Seals were specifically targeted...)
After U.S. helicopters dropped Somali troops outside the compound, a firefight broke out. The Americans couldn’t take cover immediately and were hit during an "early phase of the mission," Davis said.
The episode comes as the U.S. military expands operations against Shabab, which is allied with Al Qaeda. The group has carried out lethal bombings and attacks across Somalia and neighboring Kenya for more than a decade.
Last month, the White House granted the Pentagon broader authority to launch airstrikes and conduct operations against Shabab than during the Obama administration.
But Davis said the Barij raid was carried "under the same authorities that we've had since we began our operations there in 2013, which is to advise and assist on these types of missions."
U.S. Africa Command has provided intelligence, training and logistical support to the Somali army and to African Union troops battling Shabab since 2013. Hundreds of U.S. special forces rotate through Somalia annually.
U.S. drone strikes have killed several of Shabab's top commanders, according to U.S. assessments.
The Sunni Muslim militia overran Mogadishu in 2006 after its fighters had ousted local warlords. The group then enforced strict Islamic law and it was illegal to play soccer or listen to music.
African Union troops retook Mogadishu in 2011 and drove Shabab from many towns in the south, including major ports that had provided significant revenue. But it remains a potent force in some rural areas.
The SEAL marks the fourth U.S. service member killed in combat since last Friday in conflicts around the globe.
Moreover, two Army Rangers were killed during a battle against Islamic State fighters in eastern Afghanistan. A paratrooper also was killed in the fighting to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from Islamic State.
(MaineWriter- Donald Trump is a failed Commander in Chief. He was Tweeting during the failed Yemen raid on January 21; and celebrating a bogus and shallow legislative vote during Friday's Somalian debacle.)
Labels: Army Rangers, Mogadishu, Representative Trey Gowdy, Somalia, US Navy Seal
posted by Juliana L'Heureux | 5:18 PM
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