Two Hostages Killed in Failed US Special Forces Raid in Yemen

Luke Somers, a U.S. journalist who has been held captive by militants in Yemen since Sept. 2013, was killed in a raid as U.S. Special Forces attempted to rescue Somers and other hostages.

The New York Times reports that another hostage, a South African teacher named Pierre Korkie, was also killed in the chaotic raid that took place in southern Yemen. The Times says Korkie was scheduled to be freed Sunday, Dec. 7, citing an aid organization that had been negotiating for his release.

The men were hostages of the Yemen branch of Al Qaeda known as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Somers was working as a photojournalist at the time of his abduction.

The White House justified the raid by saying, "Earlier this week, a video released by his terrorist captors announced that Luke would be killed within 72 hours.  Other information also indicated that Luke's life was in imminent danger." 

The Times reports that at least two militants and eight civilians were killed in the raid, which began around 1 a.m. Saturday morning. At that time, a squad of helicopters and around 100 soldiers from Yemen and the United States entered the village where the hostages were being kept.

The soldiers threw flash bang grenades into several homes as they searched for the hostages. When the soldiers were finally able to locate Korkie and Somers, they had been mortally wounded. They were rushed by helicopter to a waiting U.S. Navy ship, but had passed away by the time they arrived on board.

The failed raid comes a month after a previous raid to rescue Somers. That incident took place near the Saudi Arabian border and resulted in the rescue of eight hostages, but Somers was not among the group that the U.S. forces were able to free.