UPDATED - FEB. 2022
Pardon the Interruption
The U.S. Military presented a raid option to gather intelligence and target
al-Qaida leader Qasim al-Raymi to former President Obama, late last year. It’s
said that the former President didn’t feel the intelligence was strong enough
to justify the risks of
the mission. It’s also reported that
the former President preferred the mission be carried out, instead, as a drone
strike rather than use ground troops.
Five days into his new position,
President Trump authorized the raid, over an informal dinner – the final
decision was made by a “sub-Cabinet” level group that took only 25-40
minutes, too short to consider problems. The mission was carried out by a joint force of US
Navy SEAL Team 6 and United Arab Emirates commandos on January
29, 2017. It’s reported that
the operation was larger than any previous counter-terrorism strike since the
killing of Osama Bin Laden, with over 80 ground and air troops.
A new report, published
by the online publication, The Intercept, details the raid from the perspective
of the residents of the village. According to witnesses, heavy firing
“bombarded the entire village, striking more than a dozen buildings, razing
stone dwellings where families slept, and wiping out more than 120 goats,
sheep, and donkeys.”
After a 50-minute firefight, 14
militants were killed, although, the target, Qasim al-Rayami, was not in the
compound. Villagers have
indicated that al-Rayami was not in the area. According to U.S. Central
Command, “valuable intelligence” was seized. It has
also been reported that the
Navy SEALs discovered their operation had been compromised, by the time they
arrived at the village—the Joint Special Operations Command is investigating
whether UAE forces revealed details of the mission.
A Navy SEAL was killed, three
American soldiers were injured, 25 civilians, which
include 9 children, 8 women (one who was pregnant) were killed, and a downed
$75 million Osprey MV-22 was destroyed. According to witnesses, the first to
die was a 13-year-old boy. Also, among
the dead was the 8-year-old daughter of al
Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed by Predator drones in 2011.
The Pentagon claimed that there
were female fighters among the 14 al-Qaeda militants killed; however, witnesses
challenged that claim
citing a culture that views women fighters as “shameful and dishonorable.”
A couple of days later, during a
press briefing, White House spokesman, Sean Spicer, was asked to discuss the
risk involved in the Yemen raid. Spicer responded the following:
“…I think it's hard to ever say something was successful when you
lose a life. …knowing that we killed an estimated 14 AQAP members and
that we gathered an unbelievable amount of intelligence that will prevent the
potential deaths or attacks on American soil…
“…I don't think you ever call anything 100 percent success, but
what he did for this nation and what we got out of that mission, I think I
truly believe -- and I know the President believes -- it's going to save
American lives.”
Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer
William Owens was killed during the Yemen raid. Report indicate
that shortly after firefight started, Chief Petty Officer Owens was shot by a
bullet that hit above his chest plate and entered his heart. The President made
an unannounced trip to
Delaware’s Dover Air Force Base to meet privately with Owen’s family, the same
day Spicer fielded questions.
On February 3, 2017, the Telegraph reported that
the “valuable intelligence” seized during the Yemen raid contains things that
are “more than a decade old, and available on the internet.” The military removed the video after learning it was already
publicly available online since 2007. Additionally, according to NBC News,
multiple U.S. officials have indicated that “none
of the intelligence gleaned from the operation so far has proven actionable or
vital.”
It was later reported that
the real reason for the military action was to capture or kill Qasim al-Raymi.
It’s also been reported
that the “effort was to reassert American counter-terrorism capability in a
country where it has declined precipitately over the last two years as a result
of the Iranian-inspired Houthi uprising.”
Qasim al-Raymi directed the
following message to
the President regarding the Yemen raid:
“..painful blow to the fool in the White House who didn’t learn
from the past…Muslims around the world had now witnessed the intensity of the
hatred of the Crusaders towards Muslims…burn the land underneath America’s
feet.”
The Yemen raid received disapproval
from Senator John McCain, chair of the Armed Services Committee, who called it
a “failure” during an interview. He later explained:
“Every military operation has objectives. And while many of the
objectives of the recent raid in Yemen were met, I would not describe any
operation that results in the loss of American life as a success.”
A few days later, Yemen withdrew its
support to allow U.S. special operations and ground missions against terrorist
targets. When asked by the press whether this changes the White House assessment
of a successful operation, Sean Spicer responded:
“It's absolutely a success. And I think anyone who would
suggest it's not a success does disservice to the life of Chief Ryan
Owens. He fought knowing what was at stake in that mission. And
anybody who would suggest otherwise doesn't fully appreciate how successful
that mission was, what the information that they were able to retrieve was, and
how that will help prevent future terrorist attacks.”
It was later clarified by the
foreign minister of Yemen, Abdul-Malk al-Mekhlafi that he has called for
a reassessment of the raid
but will continue to cooperate with the U.S.
Senator McCain then responded to Sean Spicer’s request for an apology with
the following:
“Many years ago when I was imprisoned in North Vietnam there was
an attempt to rescue the POWs. Unfortunately, the prison had been evacuated but
the brave men who took—risked their lives in an effort to rescue us prisoners
of war were genuine American heroes…
“Because the mission failed did not in any way diminish their
courage and willingness to help their fellow Americans who were held captive. Mr.
Spicer should know that story.”
The President then tweeted the
following in response to
Senator McCain:
Sen. McCain should not be talking about the success or failure of
a mission to the media. Only emboldens the enemy! He's been losing so....
...long he doesn't know how to win anymore, just look at the mess
our country is in - bogged down in conflict all over the place. Our hero..
..Ryan died on a winning mission ( according to General Mattis),
not a "failure." Time for the U.S. to get smart and start winning
again!
Defending her father, Meghan McCain, on February 9th, tweeted:
Trump has never served. My father can't bend one of his knees or
lift one of his arms above his head. I am done with this today. DONE.
"A more aggressive US approach may be warranted in order to
contain and limit AQAP's influence and effectiveness in southern
Yemen...However, the potential benefits of such intelligence gathering
missiones must be weighted not only against the costs of human life, military
equipment, and domestic public opinion, but also public opinion in the Middle
East and globally..."
"...the Trump administration's decision-making process leading up to the
mission signals a more dangerous departure from the norm. Rather than call a formal
National Security Council Principals Committee meeting, Trump discussed the
raid with some of his advisors over an informal dinner..."
Also of concern is that if this
raid is of any indication as to the Trump policy when it comes to carrying out
missions, then it should be expected that there will be an increase of civilian
deaths.
On February 26, 2017, the Miami Herald reported that
Chief Petty Officer Owens' father did not want to see the President when he
made an unannounced visit. He stated:
"I told them that I didn't want to
make a scene about it, but my conscience wouldn't let me talk to him."
Business Insider then reported that
Bill Owens, the father of the fallen soldier is demanding an investigation:
"Don't hide behind my son's death to
prevent an investigation... I want an investigation. ...The government owes my
son an investigation."
Recently, the White House indicated
that the Pentagon will be reviewing the raid: the death
of Chief Petty Officer Owens; the loss of the Osprey, and the civilian
casualties.
During an interview, which aired on
February 28, 2017 on Fox and Friends, the President blamed his
"most respected" generals for the death of Navy SEAL William Ryan
Owens:
"…this was a mission that
was started before I got here. This was something that was, you know, just
they wanted to do. They came to see me they explained what they wanted to do,
the generals, who are very respected. My generals are the most respected
that we've had in many decades, I believe, and they lost Ryan"
During his address to
Congress, later that day, he stated:
"We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of a
U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William "Ryan" Owens. Ryan
died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero -- battling against terrorism and
securing our nation. I just spoke to our great General Mattis, just now, who
reconfirmed that, and I quote, 'Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid
that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more
victories in the future against our enemies,' Ryan's legacy is etched into
eternity. Thank you. Thank you. And Ryan is looking down right now, you know
that, and he's very happy because I think he just broke a record. For as the
Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one's life
for one's friends. Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country,
and for our freedom--and we will never forget Ryan."
In a
column published by Slate, former Army officer and former Pentagon official,
Phillip Carter, expressed disappointment for the
President using the valor of Chief Petty Officer Owens for his political gain:
“Words cannot convey my compassion and sympathy for Owens and her
family. And yet, at the same time, I can barely contain my anger and disgust at
the way that Trump put her on display, seeking to appropriate her grief—and her
deceased husband’s heroism—for his political gain. This was stolen valor on a
presidential scale. And to make matters worse, it fits into a broader pattern
of integrity theft by Trump, wherein he’s sought during his first weeks in
office to attack or corrupt the integrity of the CIA, the military, and the
Department of Homeland Security.”
On March
2, 2017, during a CNN “town hall meeting” with Senators Lindsey Graham and John
McCain the discussion of President Trumps comments during his address to
Congress regarding Chief Petty Officer Owens was brought up. CNN journalist
Dana Bash asked Lindsey Graham for clarification regarding his warning to the
President of not to “oversell” the raid. He responded:
“Number 1, Ryan is a hero… But anybody who is willing to do that
is a hero. The outcome of the mission doesn’t make you a hero. The fact that
you are willing to go in and fight these bastards over there makes you a hero.
I can promise you that there have been a lot of raids in this war that were dry
holes. That the enemy left an hour before we got there and some of our guys are
killed. To me, they are every bit the hero, not because of the outcome of what
happened, but because of the fact that we tried.
“Here is what I would encourage the President to be careful of:
remember when we were told ‘it’s just a few dead-enders in Iraq’ remember when
you were told ‘ISIL is the JV team?” Don’t go down that road. I don’t know if
this was a game changer in the war in terrorism. In terms of Ryan, it doesn’t
matter one bit, he’s a hero. I’m sure the President is watching.”
Senator
John McCain then added:
“Missions succeed and fail. There’s a thing called ‘fog of war.’
But those who serve and sacrifice, that doesn’t affect their courage and what
they’ve done for our nation, by putting themselves in harm’s way. So, somehow
to equate a success or failure of a mission to the courage and sacrifice of
those individuals who are involved in it, it’s not a connection.”
It’s been reported that Trump
has been more willing to expand the U.S. counter-terrorism operations inside
Yemen and willing to defer decision-making to military commanders. Fox News
also reported that a new
bombing campaign along with ground raids have been authorized by the President.
On May 8, 2017, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit complaint to enforce the freedom of information act (FOIA) request made in March for release of records from the Department of Defense (DOD), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and Department of Justice (DOJ) that led and resulted from the Yemen raid on January 29, 2017.
On June 27, 2018, a federal judge sided with the ACLU regarding the release of information, since the White House directly and publicly acknowledged the CIA's intelligence interest in the raid. Then-White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer mentioned this "intelligence gathering" was done at a dinner meeting with top advisors including then-Mike Pompeo.
On August 2020, VoteVets released an ad featuring Gold Star father Bill Owens. In the ad, Owen said:
