U.S. Special Forces tried to rescue murdered journalist James Foley from Islamic State
In early summer 2014, United States Special Forces soldiers carried out a failed operation to try to rescue journalist James Foley and others from Islamic State captivity.
The New York Times reports that two dozen Delta Force operatives raided an Islamic State facility in northern Syria in the hopes of freeing Foley and other hostages. The mission ultimately failed when the location the troops targeted was not housing Foley or any other hostages.
One member of the team was injured in a firefight with IS fighters. Aircraft quickly and safely evacuated all the U.S. troops. The Time says a number of IS fighters were killed.
The Times does not disclose the date and location of the raid, but if an Ara News report is correct, the rescue mission took place outside the Syrian city of Raqqa on July 5. Raqqa is the current base of Islamic State operations. They have fully secured the city and do not face challenges to their rule in the city from either the Syrian government or Islamist fighters who oppose them.
That article said five IS members were killed, including some senior leadership. It did not provide any details about who that leadership may have been. The Ara News article also says that airstrikes preceded the arrival of the Special Forces soldiers by parachute. The facility U.S. Special Forces targeted is known as the Camp of Sheikh Osama bin Laden.
A separate Times article says that Foley was killed after the United States refused to pay a ransom for millions of dollars. While other European nations such as France and Spain will pay radical groups who have taken their citizens hostage in order to secure the hostages' release, it has been long standing U.S. policy not to give in to such demands.
