US confirms failed attempt to rescue hostage in Yemen
The Pentagon has confirmed that a hostage rescue mission last month in Yemen failed to liberate American Luke Somers because he was not present at the targeted location.
Luke Somers, a 33-year-old American journalist, was kidnapped in Yemen's capital Sanaa in September 2013, joining several other foreigners including Westerners held by Al-Qaeda-linked armed groups.
The Pentagon press secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said in a brief written statement Thursday that the U.S. government was acknowledging the attempted rescue of Somers, the only American among the roughly dozen hostages held by a Yemen-based Al-Qaeda offshoot in the Arabian Peninsula.
Kirby said the Pentagon wanted to "provide accurate information" in light of the fact that the rescue attempt has been widely reported. Eight hostages were rescued, as has been reported previously.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/4/failed-attempt-tofreehostageyemen.html
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