[gatagato]

American hostage Luke Somers' sister says she has learned from the FBI that her brother was killed in a failed rescue attempt in Yemen. Earlier this week, Yemeni Al-Qaeda militants released a video threatening to kill him.


US hostage Luke Somers, 33, kidnapped more than a year ago in the Yemeni capital Sanaa (AFP Photo / HO / Al-Malahem Media)

"We ask that all of Luke's family members be allowed to mourn in peace," AP cited Lucy Somers as saying.

Earlier on Saturday, an anonymous Yemeni security official told the agency that there was a suspected US drone attack in the south of Yemen, which killed at least 9 alleged Al-Qaeda militants.

Yemen's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said on its website that an American hostage held by al Qaeda was freed as a result of an operation early Saturday by Yemeni armed forces, during which 10 militants were killed, Reuters reports.
It was not immediately clear whether the American hostage the Yemenis were talking about was Somers.

US State Department has so far said there were conflicting reports over the outcome of the rescue operation in Yemen.

However, a senior American official told The New York Times that Somers was killed during a rescue attempt by US commandos late Friday.

Somers’ captors allegedly shot him while they were being attacked by US troops, according to the source. The badly wounded hostage was flown to a US naval ship in the region, where he died from his injuries.
Luke Somers, a British-born American citizen, worked as a photojournalist for the Yemen Times. He was kidnapped more than a year ago in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Several days ago, Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni wing, Al Qaeda on the Arabic Peninsula (AQAP), released a video threatening to kill Somers if their demands were not met.

Somers is believed to be one of the hostages US Special Operations commandos and Yemeni troops failed to rescue in an operation conducted a week ago. Eight hostages were then freed, but five others were moved elsewhere by the militants and remained in captivity.

Kidnappings of foreigners have lately been on the rise in Yemen, home to Al-Qaeda’s most active branch, according to Washington.

To counter AQAP, the US has been training Yemen's military on-the-ground and launching drone attacks on the militants.

http://rt.com/usa/212039-yemen-hostage-killed-rescue/

[BryanXavier]

Yeah that sucks. I read that, too when I got up.

Obama's going to save face I figure and tear some shot up in Yemen.

[Azimuth]

I saw Luke's brother and mother on the news sometime this last week pleading with his captors to show mercy to Luke, saying that they had nothing to do with the botched rescue attempt. Obviously they hadn't been informed of his death yet.

Or am I totally confused about the timing of their video?

[FunkPumpkin]

Well, that's embarrassing.

[commondenom]

strangely there's no mention of the other hostage who also killed during the same monumental fuck up of a raid...the guy who was due to be released the next day

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...band-days.html

[niknik]

How do you know the raid was a fuck up? Just because the hostages were killed doesn't mean anything went wrong as far as the operation.

The team who went in can't control everything, this isn't the movies.

[Kelseecat65]

At least they made the attempt to rescue them.

[niknik]

Originally Posted by Kelseecat65 ↗

At least they made the attempt to rescue them.

I agree. We already know the chances of getting them to release an American is slim to none. Best thing we can do is send in SF and try and get them back, and kill as many enemy as possible in the process.

[K9Grip]

At least both families will get the body of their loved one home, as well.
I highly doubt they were going to release the South African guy. Wishful thinking.

[K9Grip]

Originally Posted by commondenom ↗

strangely there's no mention of the other hostage who also killed during the same monumental fuck up of a raid...the guy who was due to be released the next day

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...band-days.html

The monumental fuck ups are the idiots that continue to go over there thinking they are helping. When you step foot into certain countries you are opening yourself up to this kind of shit. I'd much rather die during a rescue attempt than be decapitated and the pics/vid be posted as some kind of victory for those asshats.