The Obama administration says the US “accidentally” killed American and Italian hostages held by al-Qaeda.
BREAKING: US, Italian hostages held by al-Qaida accidentally killed in US operation – http://t.co/yAl8PwX5OT pic.twitter.com/FxjzSrBaZK
— Voice of America (@VOANews) April 23, 2015
American Warren Weinstein and Italian Giovanni Lo Porto were killed on the Afghan-Pakistan border in January during an operation which also killed American al-Qaeda leader Ahmed Farouq.
Information on the drone strike operation was previously classified.
“No words can fully express our regret over this terrible tragedy,” Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, according to a White House statement.
The President directed that the information being shared today, which was properly classified until now, be declassified and shared with the American people. He takes full responsibility for these operations and believes it is important to provide the American people with as much information as possible about our counterterrorism operations, particularly when they take the lives of fellow citizens. The uniquely tragic nature of the operation that resulted in the deaths of two innocent hostages is something we will do our utmost to ensure is not repeated. To this end, although the operation was lawful and conducted consistent with our counterterrorism policies, we are conducting a thorough independent review to understand fully what happened and how we can prevent this type of tragic incident in the future.
According to the statement American Adam Gadahn was killed in a separate operation. Gadahn, also known as Azzam the American, allegedly acted as a cultural interpreter, spokesman and media advisor for al-Qaeda.
In 2008 it was reported Gadahn was killed when a CIA military drone bombed a house where he was supposedly staying in North Waziristan. It was later reported he escaped unscathed.
Watch: A few of the documented cases of drone attacks that Obama personally ordered where children were killed. Drone attack after drone attack, you will see the real face of the globalists. This man does not care about children. He cares about disarming the American people to bring in a totalitarian government.
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