Trump might support probe into Yemen raid, White House says

[webfact]

Trump might support probe into Yemen raid, White House says

REUTERS

 

U.S. President Donald Trump points to the media up as he walks on the South Lawn upon his return to the White House in Washington, U.S., February 24, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump might support an investigation into last month's U.S. raid in Yemen that killed several al Qaeda militants but also left a Navy SEAL and several civilians dead, the White House said on Sunday.

 

"I haven't had the chance to speak with him directly about that, but I would imagine that he would be supportive of that," White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on ABC's "This Week" television program.

 

Navy SEAL William "Ryan" Owens, 36, was killed in the raid on a branch of al Qaeda, also known as AQAP, in al Bayda province on Jan. 29, the first operation authorized by Trump as commander in chief.

 

The Miami Herald reported on Sunday that Owens's father, Bill, wanted an investigation into the raid.

 

The Pentagon said the operation in Yemen killed 14 militants but also acknowledged that civilians were likely killed. Medics at the scene said about 30 people, including 10 women and children, were killed.

 

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-27

[zaphod reborn]

Anything to divert attention away from an investigation into Trump's financial ties to Russia.

[elgordo38]

Makes one wonder whose life means more in whose eyes. Yes Donald MIGHT  take a look 

Edited February 27, 2017 by elgordo38

[muffy]

Someone died on a raid , it is part of the job and the risk you take .

[whatawonderfulday]

[rudi49jr]

1 hour ago, muffy said:

Someone died on a raid , it is part of the job and the risk you take .

No, dozens of innocent civilians were killed and the Navy Seals made a royal mess of this operation. I think that would warrant a closer look at what went wrong, don't you think?

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, muffy said:

Someone died on a raid , it is part of the job and the risk you take .

Not when the risk is unnecessary and not minimized.

The President had operational control, albeit he was busy hosting a big dinner when the attack took place.

The risk of American and collateral life was justified by the chance to capture or kill  the head of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Qassim al-Rimi,

"It's not clear whether al-Rimi was at the al Qaeda camp but escaped when SEAL Team 6 and United Arab Emirates commandos descended, whether he happened to be elsewhere, or whether he was even tipped off."

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/yemen-raid-had-secret-target-al-qaeda-leader-qassim-al-n717616

In other words, there was no physical confirmation of al-Rimi was at the raid site. Furthermore, the allied forces were surprisingly outnumbered, did not hold the high ground and didn't have support redundancy.as was available in the Bin Laden raid. The raid could have easily been deferred to a time of lower risk to both allied forces and civilians. But perhaps political grandstanding is a very fungible commodity.

[Traveler19491]

5 hours ago, muffy said:

Someone died on a raid , it is part of the job and the risk you take .

 

 

Actually, Muff, it is part of the job. But, if I recall correctly, the Commander-in-Chief has a job, also. Not the least of which is making damn sure that before you approve a raid you consult with all of your senior advisors. You don't, as Trump did, approve a raid over dinner and drinks. DINNER AND F'ING DRINKS. I wonder how many double martinis this mentally challenged idiot had before giving the nod? You also remain in the Situation Room as the raid is in progress making damn sure that things are going as they should, seeing as you are the senior-most commander, and if they start going south, you pull the plug. You don't, instead, sit up in your bedroom TWEETING INSULTS AT THE GODDAMN NEW YORK TIMES.

 

Oh, and just as an aside...your concern for the welfare of the men and women who daily put their lives on the line to secure YOUR FREEDOM, along with your "heartfelt respect" for a fallen warrior, is touching...very touching.

Edited February 27, 2017 by Traveler19491

[ilostmypassword]

1 minute ago, Traveler19491 said:

Actually, Muff, it is part of the job. But, if I recall correctly, the Commander-in-Chief has a job, also. Not the least of which is making damn sure that before you approve a raid you consult with all of your senior advisors. You don't, as Trump did, approve a raid over dinner and drinks. DINNER AND F'ING DRINKS. I wonder how many double martinis this <deleted> had before giving the nod? You also remain in the Situation Room as the raid is in progress making damn sure that things are going as they should, seeing as you are the senior-most commander, and if they start going south, you pull the plug. You don't, instead, sit up in your bedroom TWEETING INSULTS AT THE GODDAMN NEW YORK TIMES.

 

Oh, and just as an aside...your concern for the welfare of the men and women who daily put their lives on the line to secure YOUR FREEDOM, along with your "heartfelt respect" for a fallen warrior, is touching...very touching.

It's actually worse than that. Alcohol isn't the reason he approved of it. Trump is a teetotaler.

[FritsSikkink]

5 hours ago, muffy said:

Someone died on a raid , it is part of the job and the risk you take .

"civilians were likely killed. Medics at the scene said about 30 people, including 10 women and children, were killed"

[FritsSikkink]

3 minutes ago, Traveler19491 said:

Actually, Muff, it is part of the job. But, if I recall correctly, the Commander-in-Chief has a job, also. Not the least of which is making damn sure that before you approve a raid you consult with all of your senior advisors. You don't, as Trump did, approve a raid over dinner and drinks. DINNER AND F'ING DRINKS. I wonder how many double martinis this <deleted> had before giving the nod? You also remain in the Situation Room as the raid is in progress making damn sure that things are going as they should, seeing as you are the senior-most commander, and if they start going south, you pull the plug. You don't, instead, sit up in your bedroom TWEETING INSULTS AT THE GODDAMN NEW YORK TIMES.

 

Oh, and just as an aside...your concern for the welfare of the men and women who daily put their lives on the line to secure YOUR FREEDOM, along with your "heartfelt respect" for a fallen warrior, is touching...very touching.

"to secure YOUR FREEDOM" oil and minerals for the rich you meant to say didn't you

[Traveler19491]

8 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

"to secure YOUR FREEDOM" oil and minerals for the rich you meant to say didn't you

Actually, no. I totally agree that in this day and age, at the political level, war is all about profit. But, to the men and women who serve it is about duty and honor, service to one's country, and protecting the values that REAL Americans still hold dear. But there are those who, as you correctly allude, don't give a damn about those things and use our military to secure their own wealth and power.

[Grubster]

1 hour ago, Traveler19491 said:

Actually, no. I totally agree that in this day and age, at the political level, war is all about profit. But, to the men and women who serve it is about duty and honor, service to one's country, and protecting the values that REAL Americans still hold dear. But there are those who, as you correctly allude, don't give a damn about those things and use our military to secure their own wealth and power.

Yes like most of our past presidents and congresses.

[Trouble]

Seems incomprehensible that anyone can make much of a comment on this considering none of you have any inside information on the specifics of the planning or approval process of the raid or for that matter what the Defense Department has investigated since the raid.  The planning for this raid was put into play under the previous Administration and before Trump took office.  Obviously there was careful planning made before the raid.  Sh*t happens and the best laid plans go wrong.  Kind of hard to place the blame on Trump when everyone in the planning and approval process were mostly hold overs from the previous Administration. Trump was presented with the plan and made the final approval. He is not a military tactician and went with the advised of the Defense Department. One must assume that the Defense Department has thoroughly investigated what went wrong.  The would be an after-action report.  The Sunday news show and the answer of the deputy press secretary were "off the cuff" remarks. One can certainly assume there has been or is an ongoing investigation into what went wrong. That would be part of the internal process.  After all they don't like to repeat mistakes.  This is really not a Trump issue as much as some would like it to be.

[Credo]

7 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

It's actually worse than that. Alcohol isn't the reason he approved of it. Trump is a teetotaler.

As W.C. Field's once said, "Never trust a man who doesn't drink."

[beechguy]

12 hours ago, rudi49jr said:

No, dozens of innocent civilians were killed and the Navy Seals made a royal mess of this operation. I think that would warrant a closer look at what went wrong, don't you think?

And some morons has been watching too many movies.

[beechguy]

7 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

"civilians were likely killed. Medics at the scene said about 30 people, including 10 women and children, were killed"

If they were shooting as described in other reports, I do not consider them civilians. The children were under the supervision of adults, that put them in a hostile situation.

[ilostmypassword]

6 hours ago, Trouble said:

Seems incomprehensible that anyone can make much of a comment on this considering none of you have any inside information on the specifics of the planning or approval process of the raid or for that matter what the Defense Department has investigated since the raid.  The planning for this raid was put into play under the previous Administration and before Trump took office.  Obviously there was careful planning made before the raid.  Sh*t happens and the best laid plans go wrong.  Kind of hard to place the blame on Trump when everyone in the planning and approval process were mostly hold overs from the previous Administration. Trump was presented with the plan and made the final approval. He is not a military tactician and went with the advised of the Defense Department. One must assume that the Defense Department has thoroughly investigated what went wrong.  The would be an after-action report.  The Sunday news show and the answer of the deputy press secretary were "off the cuff" remarks. One can certainly assume there has been or is an ongoing investigation into what went wrong. That would be part of the internal process.  After all they don't like to repeat mistakes.  This is really not a Trump issue as much as some would like it to be.

Even if the raid was planned under the Obama administration, it wasn't approved by Obama. Or do you maintain that in the Trump adminstration, the buck stops with Obama?

[beechguy]

12 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

Even if the raid was planned under the Obama administration, it wasn't approved by Obama. Or do you maintain that in the Trump adminstration, the buck stops with Obama?

Obama didn't seem to think that the buck stopped with him, when he took over. How many times did that guy stand there and complain about the mess he inherited?

 

Does the Trump Administration own this, sure,  I think so, but that doesn't mean they did anything wrong. Sometimes as many as a dozen similar missions can be executed in a single night, we'll never know what happened with the other eleven, good or bad. Just the ignorant, making judgments on what they saw in a Hollywood movie.

[ilostmypassword]

9 minutes ago, beechguy said:

Obama didn't seem to think that the buck stopped with him, when he took over. How many times did that guy stand there and complain about the mess he inherited?

 

Does the Trump Administration own this, sure,  I think so, but that doesn't mean they did anything wrong. Sometimes as many as a dozen similar missions can be executed in a single night, we'll never know what happened with the other eleven, good or bad. Just the ignorant, making judgments on what they saw in a Hollywood movie.

I know there was a lot of ignorant people who made foolish judgements based on a Hollywood movie about Benghazi.  I didn't know that Hollywood had managed to push one out about Yemen so quickly. Thanks for the tip.

[ilostmypassword]

The raid in Yemen that left a Navy SEAL dead may not have produced significant intelligence

 

The deadly US raid in Yemen that resulted in the deaths of more than two dozen civilians and one US Navy SEAL has not yielded any significant intelligence so far, NBC News reported on Monday.

The report, based on interviews with senior US officials, seems to contradict White House statements that the January raid was a success. Earlier this month, White House press secretary Sean Spicer called the raid "a successful operation by all standards," and said "anyone who undermines the success of that raid owes an apology" to William Owens, the Navy SEAL chief who was killed in action.

http://www.businessinsider.com/yemen-raid-intelligence-2017-2

So, according to Sean Spicer, the father of William Owens, who wants an investigation of the raid, owes his son an apology.

[ilostmypassword]

Why should Trump support a probe into the Yemen raid? After all, it's not his fault that things went south. And if you don't believe me, you can read it from the man himself:

“They came to 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.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/trump-shirks-responsibility-death-navy-seal-yemen-raid-article-1.2984883

The new motto for the Trump administration:

The buck stops elsewhere.

[Andaman Al]

^^^

 

It is even more pointed than that. What a Commander in Chief !

 

Quote

Trump blames generals for Navy SEAL's death in Yemen raid

 

http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/trump-blames-generals-seal-death

 

What a great article to have to run in the 'Military Times'.

Edited March 2, 2017 by Andaman Al

[Traveler19491]

On 2/28/2017 at 6:35 AM, beechguy said:

Obama didn't seem to think that the buck stopped with him, when he took over. How many times did that guy stand there and complain about the mess he inherited?

 

Does the Trump Administration own this, sure,  I think so, but that doesn't mean they did anything wrong. Sometimes as many as a dozen similar missions can be executed in a single night, we'll never know what happened with the other eleven, good or bad. Just the ignorant, making judgments on what they saw in a Hollywood movie.

 

Actually, Obama didn't complain about the legitimate mess he inherited. Job losses at 800k per month, the stock market in the toilet, almost 3 million housing foreclosures, the real estate market the worst in decades, joblessness on its way to 10%, two off-the-books wars still in full effect, and the overall economy eviscerated. Instead of whining like the current sore winner, he went to work. 73 consecutive months of job creation (11 million net jobs created during Obama's 8 years compared to 400,000 net under Bush II https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/11/barack-obamas-criminally-underrated-jobs-record/506594/), a stock market that went from 7949 the day Obama was inaugurated to 19732 the day he left office (http://daytradingstockblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/dow-jones-close-12009-stock-market.html), housing starts went from just shy of 600k when Obama took office to over double that when Trump was sworn in (http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/housing-starts), and foreclosure filings for 2008 totaled just under 3 million compared with less than a million eight years later (http://www.realtytrac.com/news/foreclosure-trends/2016-year-end-u-s-foreclosure-market-report/). As to your bogus fantasy figure of twelve raids conducted on the night of the Yemen raid, a figure pulled from your nether regions, I have to applaud your ability to mimic Faux News in throwing out a hypothetical figure and then immediately referring to it as fact. I think that's called "fake news". The fact is that the raid was not executed with adequate intelligence, and while the blame for that can justifiably be laid at the feet of the intelligence sources responsible, it is nevertheless the Commander-in-Chief who bears ultimate responsibility. However, this so-called President prefers to pass the buck rather than accept what is his to bear. I would still love to know why he felt it unimportant to be in the Situation Room as the raid was unfolding as opposed to tweeting insults at the New York Times. I guess we know his priorities...and they aren't with the men and women in the military. His ego is supreme. The American people fall to a very distant second.

[Andaman Al]

8 minutes ago, Traveler19491 said:

 I would still love to know why he felt it unimportant to be in the Situation Room as the raid was unfolding as opposed to tweeting insults at the New York Times. I guess we know his priorities...and they aren't with the men and women in the military. His ego is supreme. The American people fall to a very distant second.

He was watching Fox and Friends and then it was The Apprentice with Arnie. How could Trump miss that for an operational event?

[beechguy]

On ‎3‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 3:46 AM, Traveler19491 said:

Actually, Obama didn't complain about the legitimate mess he inherited. Job losses at 800k per month, the stock market in the toilet, almost 3 million housing foreclosures, the real estate market the worst in decades, joblessness on its way to 10%, two off-the-books wars still in full effect, and the overall economy eviscerated. Instead of whining like the current sore winner, he went to work. 73 consecutive months of job creation (11 million net jobs created during Obama's 8 years compared to 400,000 net under Bush II https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/11/barack-obamas-criminally-underrated-jobs-record/506594/), a stock market that went from 7949 the day Obama was inaugurated to 19732 the day he left office (http://daytradingstockblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/dow-jones-close-12009-stock-market.html), housing starts went from just shy of 600k when Obama took office to over double that when Trump was sworn in (http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/housing-starts), and foreclosure filings for 2008 totaled just under 3 million compared with less than a million eight years later (http://www.realtytrac.com/news/foreclosure-trends/2016-year-end-u-s-foreclosure-market-report/). As to your bogus fantasy figure of twelve raids conducted on the night of the Yemen raid, a figure pulled from your nether regions, I have to applaud your ability to mimic Faux News in throwing out a hypothetical figure and then immediately referring to it as fact. I think that's called "fake news". The fact is that the raid was not executed with adequate intelligence, and while the blame for that can justifiably be laid at the feet of the intelligence sources responsible, it is nevertheless the Commander-in-Chief who bears ultimate responsibility. However, this so-called President prefers to pass the buck rather than accept what is his to bear. I would still love to know why he felt it unimportant to be in the Situation Room as the raid was unfolding as opposed to tweeting insults at the New York Times. I guess we know his priorities...and they aren't with the men and women in the military. His ego is supreme. The American people fall to a very distant second.

I'll go easy on you, , since it appears you may have reading comprehension issue. Please read my post again.

I did not state that there were 12 missions that night, simply stating there can often be more than what it is reported. I do not have to pull anything from any nether regions, I state an opinion based on knowledge and experience. I worked in the Persian Gulf for 10 years, mostly with the U.S. Navy, and another 4 1/2 years working ISR contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As to the economic conditions that Obama inherited, I think Bush should have done more, but let's not forget what Clinton, Barney Franks, etc did, before Bush ever took office, to start the ball rolling.

[ilostmypassword]

3 hours ago, beechguy said:

I'll go easy on you, , since it appears you may have reading comprehension issue. Please read my post again.

I did not state that there were 12 missions that night, simply stating there can often be more than what it is reported. I do not have to pull anything from any nether regions, I state an opinion based on knowledge and experience. I worked in the Persian Gulf for 10 years, mostly with the U.S. Navy, and another 4 1/2 years working ISR contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As to the economic conditions that Obama inherited, I think Bush should have done more, but let's not forget what Clinton, Barney Franks, etc did, before Bush ever took office, to start the ball rolling.

Bush should have done more? You mean like give bigger tax breaks to the wealthy?  Or exercised even less oversight of Wall Street? I don't see how how he could have done the latter since by the time of the collapse there was virtually none.

[Traveler19491]

On 3/16/2017 at 8:05 AM, beechguy said:

I'll go easy on you, , since it appears you may have reading comprehension issue. Please read my post again.

I did not state that there were 12 missions that night, simply stating there can often be more than what it is reported. I do not have to pull anything from any nether regions, I state an opinion based on knowledge and experience. I worked in the Persian Gulf for 10 years, mostly with the U.S. Navy, and another 4 1/2 years working ISR contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As to the economic conditions that Obama inherited, I think Bush should have done more, but let's not forget what Clinton, Barney Franks, etc did, before Bush ever took office, to start the ball rolling.

 

 

Actually, my reading comprehension is fine (and it would help your reader to understand your point a bit better were you to use the definite article "a" before "reading comprehension". Might want to brush up a bit on your grammar...you know, to help those who actually have problems with reading comprehension). I just wish I could say the same for your apparently failing memory. But, in the spirit of congeniality and spirited debate, allow me to assist you with a direct quote...

 

"Sometimes as many as a dozen similar missions can be executed in a single night, we'll never know what happened with the other eleven, good or bad."

 

If that is not setting up a straw man and then moving to the immediate assumption that it is factual, please enlighten us.  You posit that "Sometimes as many as a dozen similar missions..." and then immediately move to "...we'll never know what happened with the other eleven..." That is either pure BS pulled from your "nether regions" or the result of pathetic skills vis-a-vis written communication. If you didn't mean to imply that there were another eleven missions then why allude to them?

 

Your knowledge and opinion are as valid as anyone else's, perhaps a bit more, given your experience in the Middle East. However, with regard to the economic mess handed to Obama by 43, I will agree that Clinton deserves a large dose of blame for that, but the fact that Bush II did nothing to correct the mess but only exacerbated it with his policies still leaves him holding the bag. And to get back to the original point, Obama didn't whine about what he inherited. He just went to work and cleaned it up as best he could given the massive obstruction and refusal to help on the part of the GOP.

Edited March 17, 2017 by Traveler19491

[stander]

The Yemen SEAL raid wasn't compromised. The inhabitants just put up more of a fight than what was expected.  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/15/navy-seals-found-yemeni-enemies-well-prepared-for-/