U.S. says Yemen raid that left SEAL, civilians dead "was a success"February 3, 2017 - 11:43 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The White House on Thursday, February 2 defended a U.S. special operations raid in Yemen as a "success by all standards," even though multiple civilians and a Navy SEAL were killed, and the mission was beset with problems, AFP reports. Sunday's raid -- the first authorized by President Donald Trump -- saw U.S. special operations forces enter the Yakla region of Baida province and target a compound occupied by Al-Qaeda in the Arabic Peninsula (AQAP) operatives. Washington views the Al-Qaeda affiliate, known for plotting attacks in other countries, as the global terror network's most dangerous branch. Navy SEAL Team Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens, 36, was killed and three other U.S. troops were wounded in a fierce gunfight. Three more service members were injured when their tilt-rotor aircraft made a "hard landing." The $75 million MV-22 Osprey had to be destroyed in place to avoid having it fall into enemy hands. And on Wednesday, the Pentagon acknowledged that several non-combatants, including children, had apparently been killed in the raid. A Yemeni provincial official had previously said 16 civilians were killed -- eight women and eight children -- but the Pentagon did not provide numbers. Washington is facing questions on whether an eight-year-old American girl died. Local sources say the girl was the daughter of senior Al-Qaeda cleric and U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaqi, killed in a 2011 U.S. drone strike. After previously saying the raid snagged an "unbelievable" amount of intelligence, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday the raid had been successful. "When you think of the loss of life throughout America and institutions and in terms of the world, in terms of what some of the individuals could have done, I think it is a successful operation by all standards," Spicer said. But he added it was hard to talk of success when an American was killed, and praised the sailor's sacrifice. He made no mention of the civilian victims. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |