The Yemen Raid - Facts

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 column written by Nicole Magney, published in the Small Wars Journal on February 11th, explores the concerns on the effects of the significant shift on counterterrorism and decision-making efforts:

"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:

"Just five days into his presidency, Trump ordered Ryan's SEAL team into Yemen. Not  from the Situation Room with all the intelligence assembled, but sitting across a dinner table from Steve Bannon. There was no vital interest at play, just Donald Trump playing big man going to war. And when it went horribly wrong... Donald Trump demeaned my son's sacrifice to play to the crowd."

I'll add to this list of facts as this story develops, but one thing that should be noted: It's absolutely disrespectful to place a war hero between a debate. To insert a name of a fallen hero and use it as a shield for political reasons is absolutely disgraceful.