Breaking Down the Hostage Rescue in Somalia
Tactical Analyst Ben West discusses a recent hostage rescue raid in Somalia and the conditions that made it possible.The daring raid that rescued two kidnapped aid workers in Somalia is the latest example of the growing capabilities of U.S. special operations forces, whose skills have been forged during more than a decade of war, much of it in the shadows.
Danish Refugee Council, via AP
Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, left, and American
Jessica Buchanan were freed by U.S. military forces in a nighttime raid
Wednesday in Somalia
An elite SEAL
team parachuted into Somalia early Wednesday local time, crept quietly
to the hijackers' camp and killed nine of them before bundling the two
aid hostages on a waiting helicopter to be extracted. No Americans were
injured.
The raid was conducted by members of
SEAL Team 6, the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in
May. The unit is an elite group of highly trained men who specialize in
counterterrorism missions.
STORY: Obama has had rare run of luck with elite SEAL operations
BLOG: White House timeline on hostage rescue
BLOG: Obama praises special operations forces
The
small but lethal teams are designed to drop into an area undetected
and carry out missions quickly and efficiently. The operations require
detailed planning and intense training.
"It
does show a very mature capability and an increased confidence," said
Derek Reveron, professor of national security affairs at the Naval War College. "That to me is the bigger legacy of the past 10 years."
Pentagon press secretary George Little said the gunmen who were holding the hostages were heavily armed with explosives nearby.
American
aid worker Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted, a Dane, were flown to
safety after the raid. They had been held since October.
President Obama
knew the hostages had been rescued before he entered the House to
deliver the State of the Union speech Tuesday. He didn't publicly
mention the raid, but as he entered the House chamber he pointed to
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and said, "Good job tonight."
Immediately
after the speech, Obama telephoned Buchanan's father from the Capitol
to tell him that she was safe and "on her way home," according to the White House.
The
decision to launch the mission was hastened because of concerns over
Buchanan's health, U.S. officials said. "We wanted to act," Vice President Biden said on NBC's Today show.
The president authorized the raid Monday night after meeting with counterterrorism adviser John Brennan in his residence.
Somalia
is a largely lawless country where gangs of pirates and kidnappers have
been operating with near impunity. The Pentagon said it was not clear
whether the armed gang who held the two aid workers also operated as
pirates in addition to kidnapping. The gunmen were not considered
members of Islamic terrorist groups who also operate in Somalia.
The
U.S. government has launched drone strikes against terrorist targets in
Africa, but putting troops on the ground is rare. In 1993, Somalia
became a symbol of U.S. military impotence in the face of Third World threats after a fierce gunbattle occurred between U.S. forces and local militias, which prompted the U.S. withdrawal.
On Wednesday, U.S. forces proved they could carry out a mission in Somalia.
"As
commander in chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried
out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their
efforts," Obama said in a statement. "This is yet another message to the
world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people."
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