James Foley death: US troops were sent on rescue mission to find Isis hostages last summer
Officials said a number of Islamic State group militants were killed
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.US troops were sent to Syria this summer to try to rescue a number of kidnapped Americans, including journalist James Foley, but they did not find the hostages, senior White House officials said on Wednesday.
The officials said the rescue mission was authorized by President Barack Obama after intelligence agencies believed they had identified where the hostages were being held.
But the several dozen special operations troops who were dropped by aircraft into Syria did not find them and engaged in a firefight with Islamic State group militants before departing.
The officials said a number of militants, but no Americans, were killed.
One American sustained a minor injury when an aircraft was hit, according to the officials, speaking a day after a video showing the beheading of Foley was released by Isis militants.
The kidnappers also threatened to kill a second hostage, Steven Sotloff, if US airstrikes against the militants in Iraq continued.
The officials would not say specifically when or where the operation took place, citing the need to protect operational details in order to preserve the ability to carry out future rescue missions.
AP
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments