Breaking: U.S. drone strike accidentally killed 2 hostages

U.S. drone strike accidentally killed 2 hostages
www.cnn.com...

Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. the Strike happened in January.

"As president and as Commander-in-chief, I take full responsibility for all our counterterrorism operations including the one that inadvertently took the lives of Warren and Giovanni," Obama said Thursday morning in the White House briefing room, where he apologized on behalf of the U.S. government.

..........

The information on the killings had been classified until Obama directed officials to declassify the information and share it Thursday.

Obama said he decided to release the information because "the Weinstein and Lo Porto families deserve to know the truth"

...

“It is a cruel and bitter truth that in the fog of war generally, and our fight against terrorists specifically, that mistakes, sometimes deadly mistakes, can occur.”

Technically...3 American citizens and 1 Italian were killed.

2 American Citizens who were Al Qaida Operatives
- Ahmed Farouq, who was an American citizen and deputy emir of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent
- Adam Gadahn, another American in the senior ranks of al Qaeda
1 Italian Hostage
- Italian national Giovanni Lo Porto
1 American Hostage
- Warren Weinstein, an American USAID contractor whose work focused on helping Pakistani families, captured August 2011


Also here:
www.nytimes.com...

a reply to: Indigo5

More on the American hostage:

Mr. Weinstein, 73, a resident of Rockville, Md., was a business development expert working on contract for the United States Agency for International Development when he was kidnapped in August 2011 in the Pakistani city of Lahore, just four days before he was scheduled to return to his family in the United States. Al Qaeda released videos of him, and news media reports from as recently as last week indicated that he was still assumed to be alive.

“I really don’t know why they are holding him,” his wife, Elaine Weinstein, told the Voice of America’s Deewa service last year. “He was in Pakistan doing development work. He is just an old man, a sick man who was dedicated to doing his job in Pakistan and kept staying there for the benefit of the Pakistani people.”

In a column published last August in an Urdu-language Pakistani newspaper and in Newsweek Pakistan, Ms. Weinstein said her husband had gone to Pakistan a decade earlier and immersed himself in the culture. “He learned Urdu, dressed in shalwar kameez, and took every opportunity to learn more about Pakistan’s history and customs,” she wrote.

www.nytimes.com...

a reply to: Indigo5


no it was, 1 U.S. citizen,1 Italian, Warren Weinstein and Giovanni Lo Porto,and two worthless bags of pig excrement, may allah not have mercy on their souls and may they wallow in the excrement that they were for all eternity.

Unfortunate, but war is messy. Collateral damage is to be expected. I'm not debating the US involvement in the region. I'm just stating that as long as things are being blown up, people will get hurt, intentionally or unintentionally.

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

No argument here.

So it seems with the last couple high-profile rescue attempts of US Hostages, the AQ keeps it's hostages hidden and secluded...eyes in the sky.

According to what has been released they had "100's of hours" of surveillance video of the target site and still didn't know that the hostages were there.

I wonder if they sent in a team after the strike? How else would they be able to confirm that the two hostages were killed in the strike. They don't take terrorists word in such scenarios.

a reply to: Indigo5

While tragic , this end is possibly a more merciful end.

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

that was sarcasm, right?

originally posted by: FamCore
a reply to: hounddoghowlie

that was sarcasm, right?

Here is one of the "American" AQ that was killed:

Here's a look at the life of al Qaeda translator and spokesman Adam Gadahn.

Personal:
Birth date: September 1, 1978

Birth place: Winchester, California

Birth name: Adam Yahiye Gadahn

Father: Philip Gadahn, goat farmer and carpenter

Mother: Jennifer Gadahn, goat farmer

Marriage: Married to a Muslim woman from Afghanistan



Children: Reportedly has at least one child

Education: Home schooled until age 17

Religion: Muslim

Other Facts:
Also known as Azzam the American, Adam Pearlman, or Abu Suhayb Al-Amriki. The FBI lists several other aliases.

Adam's parents changed their last name from Pearlman to Gadahn right after they were married.

Grew up in rural California on a farm. His family lived a very rustic lifestyle, and he reportedly did not watch TV or use a computer as a child.

At eighteen, he moved in with his paternal grandparents who were secular Jews.

Timeline:
1995 - Converts to Islam at the Islamic Society of Orange County, California. Haitham Bundakji, chairman of the mosque, is his witness.

May 1997 - Is banned from the mosque after striking Bundakji. Gadahn later pleads guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery and is sentenced to two days in jail and forty hours of community service.

1998 - Leaves the United States and moves to Pakistan.

2002 - His father claims this is the last time Adam contacted them in California.

May 26, 2004 - The FBI releases Gadahn's name and says he is part of an al Qaeda cell that is planning attacks meant to disrupt the 2004 presidential election.

October 27, 2004 - A videotape is released in which a man in disguise praises Osama bin Laden and threatens imminent attacks against the U.S. Haitham Bundakji identifies Gadahn as the man.

September 11, 2005 - A videotape is released in which a disguised man believed to be Gadahn threatens attacks against Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia.

July 7, 2006 - A new al Qaeda videotape is released on the internet to mark the one year anniversary of terrorist attacks in London. This time Gadahn appears without being disguised.

September 2, 2006 - He appears on an al Qaeda videotape, introduced by Ayman al Zawahiri.

September 11, 2006 - Gadahn releases a video on the fifth anniversary of 9/11, "All the brothers who took part in the raids on America were dedicated, strong-willed, highly motivated individuals with a burning concern for Islam and Muslims."

October 11, 2006 - Adam Gadahn is charged with treason and providing material support to terrorists. There is a reward for up to $1 million for information leading to his capture.

May 29, 2007- Gadahn appears in a new al Qaeda videotape warning the U.S. to end involvement in the affairs of Muslim countries. Speaking in English, Gadahn says, "Your failure to heed our demands ... means that you and your people will ... experience things which will make you forget all about the horrors of September 11th, Afghanistan and Iraq and Virginia Tech..."

January 6, 2008 - Gadahn appears in a new video. Speaking mostly in English, he renounces his citizenship, criticizes President George W. Bush's trip to the Middle East and tears up his U.S. passport.

October 4, 2008 - He releases a new video focusing on Pakistan, with references to the U.S. economic meltdown and fighting in Kashmir. "It's time for you to put aside tribal, ethnic and territorial differences and petty worldly disputes not just for now but forever and unite to restore the glories of your forefathers and hasten, Allah willing, the defeat of the Zionist-crusader enemy and the establishment of the Islamic state, the Ummah, the so eagerly anticipated."

June 13, 2009 - A new videotape of Gadahn is released. Speaking in Arabic, he acknowledges his Jewish ancestry.

March 7, 2010 - Releases a video praising Nidal Hasan, the soldier who has been charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood. "Brother Nidal is the ideal role model for every repentant Muslim in the armies of the unbelievers and apostate regimes."

June 20, 2010 - Gadahn appears in a new videotape, mocking President Barack Obama, calling him "a devious, evasive and serpentine American president with a Muslim name..."

September 29, 2010 - Gadahn releases a new video criticizing the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan, saying they only serve the interests of the United States.

October 23, 2010 - Along with others, appears in a video referencing Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, also known as the "underwear bomber."

June 2, 2011 - Gadahn releases a new video, urging followers to attack targets in the U.S. He says, "America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?"

September 18, 2012 - Gadahn appears in Ayman Al-Zawahiri's 9/11 anniversary message video, "Truth has Come and Falsehood has Perished," condemning statements by President Barack Obama that the U.S. is not at war with Islam. "America is crystal clear about its opposition to Islam as a political system, Islam as a ruling system ... and the essence of Islam. So, how can America say that it is not at war with Islam?"

September 20, 2012 - Gadahn releases a new video, "Advice and Support to Our Rebel Brothers Against Injustice," in support of uprisings throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

August 19, 2013 - Gadahn releases a new video praising the death of Libya's U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and urges wealthy Muslims to offer militants rewards so they can kill others.

www.cnn.com...

a reply to: FamCore

He was calling the AQ operatives that were citizens the scum.


This is a sad outcome indeed, at least their families have some closure now.

Hopefully they can find some peace in that.

a reply to: FamCore

no, i have no sympathy for murders, terrorist, or jihadists.

say what you want, the U.S. doesn't target civilians just to prove a point.terrorists, jihadist and those that do just want to kill. collateral damage does happen, it's a shame that it does.
but to feel sympathy for murders, and traitors no never will happen from me.

a reply to: Indigo5

Weinstein a Jew doing humanitarian aid work in Pakistan



Wtf was he doing in Pakistan as a Jew? I know from the UK Pakistanis hate Jews, getting on for all muslims do bar some Moroccans and Turks, they hate Jews on a par with the SS. The drone strike proabably saved him from a much worse death, he was certainlt already a dead man walking

So why isnt there a huge uproar against Obama for killing innocent civilians?

Everyone screams about how convservatives and right wingers are murdering war mongers...

But not a word when crap like this happens under Obamas watch, and its NOT the first time.....


He makes a habit of making decisions that cost the lives of innocent people......

The U.S. can bomb a home which is under surveillance for days and occupied by leaders of Al Qaida or ISIS, but they can't bomb terrorist training sites? I would think outdoor training sites would be much easier to find than targeting terrorist leaders.


I also wouldn't doubt the U.S. bombed it even though there were two hostages inside. Ooops, we made a mistake. Two hostages are worth sacrificing when you can kill two terrorist leaders?

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

I thought you meant Warren, the casualty who was working to help Pakistani Families (as I thought if you were referring to him as worthless pig excrement) - thanks for clarifying. I too have no sympathy for murderers or people who are cruel

originally posted by: WeRpeons
The U.S. can bomb a home which is under surveillance for days and occupied by leaders of Al Qaida or ISIS, but they can't bomb terrorist training sites? I would think outdoor training sites would be much easier to find than targeting terrorist leaders.


I also wouldn't doubt the U.S. bombed it even though there were two hostages inside. Ooops, we made a mistake. Two hostages are worth sacrificing when you can kill two terrorist leaders?

Spot on dude, trying to figure that out myself, we USE to bomb their training sites and completely wipe the damn things out...

WHy the hell we arent still doing this I have NO idea......

We hear all the time that we know where they are, so why the hell arent we taking care of them

originally posted by: ufoorbhunter
a reply to: Indigo5

Weinstein a Jew doing humanitarian aid work in Pakistan

Wtf was he doing in Pakistan as a Jew? I know from the UK Pakistanis hate Jews, getting on for all muslims do bar some Moroccans and Turks, they hate Jews on a par with the SS. The drone strike proabably saved him from a much worse death, he was certainlt already a dead man walking

It's a strange world. One of his AQ captors that was killed, Adam Gadahn, was also a jew..an American born Jew whose family had converted to Islam and changed their name from Pearlman to Gadahn. Kind a new bar for hating your heritage...Both Jews and America. Born Jewish in America...convert to Islam and join AQ in Pakistan...death to the Jews and America!

originally posted by: ufoorbhunter
a reply to: Indigo5

Weinstein a Jew doing humanitarian aid work in Pakistan

Wtf was he doing in Pakistan as a Jew? I know from the UK Pakistanis hate Jews, getting on for all muslims do bar some Moroccans and Turks, they hate Jews on a par with the SS. The drone strike proabably saved him from a much worse death, he was certainlt already a dead man walking

Also...I think he thought he could blend in.

In a column published last August in an Urdu-language Pakistani newspaper and in Newsweek Pakistan, Ms. Weinstein said her husband had gone to Pakistan a decade earlier and immersed himself in the culture. “He learned Urdu, dressed in shalwar kameez, and took every opportunity to learn more about Pakistan’s history and customs,” she wrote.

a reply to: Indigo5

Something big is coming.....Why declassify it now after 3 months....Hmmm. My gut tells me this is a big story and things are not being said.


These drone strikes are inhuman and should be banned by the Geneva convention. War needs to suck for a reason when one side no longer feels pain it is not war anymore.

I wonder if China or Russia would've owned up to a mistake like this. The one thing I can find refreshing in this tragedy is that . Despite being openly ridiculed and held in contempt for the drone program. The US is willing to own up to mistakes and inform its people.

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

Maybe he went to represent the human race as opposed to being a jew??, your either a good person or not.