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Reuters: US officials say deadly Yemen operation approved without sufficient intel

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J

Joe

Member
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN15G5RX

U.S. military officials told Reuters that Trump approved his first covert counterterrorism operation without sufficient intelligence, ground support or adequate backup preparations.

As a result, three officials said, the attacking SEAL team found itself dropping onto a reinforced al Qaeda base defended by landmines, snipers, and a larger than expected contingent of heavily armed Islamist extremists
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White House says it was Obama administration's call not theirs:
The U.S. officials said the extremists’ base had been identified as a target before the Obama administration left office on Jan. 20, but then-President Barack Obama held off approving a raid ahead of his departure.

A White House official said the operation was thoroughly vetted by the previous administration and that the previous defense secretary had signed off on it in January. The raid was delayed for operational reasons, the White House official said.
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One military official says Obama administration put order on hold partly to wait for more Intel:
One of the three U.S. officials said on-the-ground surveillance of the compound was “minimal, at best.”

“The decision was made ... to leave it to the incoming administration, partly in the hope that more and better intelligence could be collected,” that official said.
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More info from New York Times
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/02/...nald-trump-yemen-commando-raid-questions.html

President Barack Obama’s national security aides had reviewed the plans for a risky attack on a small, heavily guarded brick home of a senior Qaeda collaborator in a mountainous village in a remote part of central Yemen. But Mr. Obama did not act because the Pentagon wanted to launch the attack on a moonless night and the next one would come after his term had ended.
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As it turned out, almost everything that could go wrong did. And on Wednesday, Mr. Trump flew to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to be present as the body of the American commando killed in the raid was returned home, the first military death on the new commander in chief’s watch.
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A senior administration official said on Wednesday night that the Defense Department had conducted a legal review of the operation that Mr. Trump approved and that a Pentagon lawyer had signed off on it.

Mr. Trump’s new national security team, led by Mr. Flynn, the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency and a retired general with experience in counterterrorism raids, has said that it wants to speed the decision-making when it comes to such strikes, delegating more power to lower-level officials so that the military may respond more quickly. Indeed, the Pentagon is drafting such plans to accelerate activities against the Qaeda branch in Yemen.
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My opinion: This situation is very complicated and I wouldn't be surprised if Obama administration, Trump administration, and the Pentagon end up getting equal blame.
 
W

wonderful103

Member
At this point you could tell me that trump is paying attention to "intelligence" from Team America World Police and I'd believe it.
 
S

Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew

Banned
Intel? Who needs Intel! Isn't it always "America lands in. America kicks ass. Nicholas Cage lights the beacon. Sean Connery saves the day? I've seen the historical files! I know what I'm doing!"?
 
S

SpaceWolf

Banned
team_america.gif
 
UberTag

UberTag

Member
Shadybiz said:
Trump winging it? What a fucking surprise. And now people are dead, asshole.
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This op will be a microcosm of the kind of rash decision-making that leads to thousands of casualties at Trump's hand down the line.

Also, it's still only Day 13.

wonderful103 said:
At this point you could tell me that trump is paying attention to "intelligence" from Team America World Police and I'd believe it.
Click to expand...
67852276.jpg
 
F

foxuzamaki

Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
This man is the commander and chief of our military, trumps has probably neve even been near a soldier until a couple months ago.
 
H

Hazmat

Member
I'm not envious of the DoD staffer that has to tell Trump that those deaths are permanent and he can't just declare the US government bankrupt and have them not count anymore.
 
Z

Zombie James

Banned
The U.S. officials said the extremists’ base had been identified as a target before the Obama administration left office on Jan. 20, but then-President Barack Obama held off approving a raid ahead of his departure.
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I wonder why.
 
V

Vena

Member
Ya, this is going to turn the military on him. This is one of those little things that will cost him.

And its very clear that "Obama's fault" is a failing defense.

Akainu said:
...but it says it was delayed. So whos fault was this again? Obama? Sure right whatever.
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Trojita said:
They are blaming the Obama administration!?

What a bunch of fuckers.
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Hazmat said:
I'm not envious of the DoD staffer that has to tell Trump that those deaths are permanent and he can't just declare the US government bankrupt and have them not count anymore.
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I wouldn't call it blaming him, more trying to deflect but the military stated why it was delayed. So its all on Trump for ordering the move.

Can't really blame others for your own signature.
 
K

kittenbreath

Member
I suspected this was the going to be the case as more details came out. The scale of the firefight and number of casualties just didn't make sense for what was described as a raid to gather intelligence. Somebody on the planning side fucked up.

I'm sure that our Republican congress will investigate this as thoroughly as they did the Benghazi attack.

...
 
A

Ac30

Member
For old time's sake

83074108.gif


That should just be hung out on the White House's lawn for the next 8 years.
 
Evolved1

Evolved1

make sure the pudding isn't too soggy but that just ruins everything
Of course it's Obama's fault. What cowardice.
 
B

Biske

Member
Wait wait wait, so Mr "Obama is an illegal muslim kenyan and fucked everything up" is now blaming it all on Obama.

"I was just going with what he.. thought it was great cause everything he does was... wait... thought I could trust... I mean... Obama was an idiot... so I... went with his plans... which I don't like..."

Really?
 
R

royalan

Member
The horror of a Mad President putting American lives at risk on a whim notwithstanding, this is everything Republicans made Benghazi out to be and then some.

Don't tire yourselves out turning this into a campaign winning issue, Dems.
 
V

VariantX

Member
Trojita said:
They are blaming the Obama administration!?

What a bunch of fuckers.
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Yeah, but It's not even a good defense here. They still made the call at the end of the day and no amount of finger pointing will change that considering the previous administration held off because of the lack of intel.

Cosmo Clock 21 said:
If only there were some kind of briefing, one that provided intelligence, perhaps, that Trump could attend
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Also this ^
 
R

RustyNails

Member
Trump kills an American navy SEAL and an 8 year old girl in his first week in office, because Trump has no brain and cannot think.
 
J

Joe

Member
OP updated with a little more info from New York Times.

Pentagon wanted to wait for moonless night.

Trump flew to Delaware to be present with the fallen soldiers body.

Flynn wants to expedite decision making process by letting lower-level officials make more decisions.
 
N

nintendoman58

Member
Link said:
Fixed.

We're so fucked. The man is dangerous as hell and it's amazing that his stupid supporters don't care because he's pissing off the "haters."
Click to expand...

ivajz said:
He'll bring down the world with him.
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Look, I know this really isn't a good look but I'd appreciate it if people stopped acting like everything in the future is now suddenly set in stone.

Nihilism and defeatism aren't going to get us anywhere in these trying times.
 
S

Shadybiz

Member
UberTag said:
This op will be a microcosm of the kind of rash decision-making that leads to thousands of casualties at Trump's hand down the line.

Also, it's still only Day 13.
Click to expand...

For sure. It's going to get a lot worse than this, as terrible as this is.

Cosmo Clock 21 said:
If only there were some kind of briefing, one that provided intelligence, perhaps, that Trump could attend
Click to expand...

YEP! They should really create something like that, might do some good. /s
 
O

orthodoxy1095

Banned
If Obama had held off to wait for intel, that's not a good look. Not that anyone expected much else I guess. What a dumbass.

I wonder what his military advisors think of him.
Trojita said:
And they killed a little girl.
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Nicely completing the unlawful destruction of that family started under Obama! Yay democracy bombs.
 
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