Al-Qaida Kills 2 Hostages During Rescue Bid

It was always going to be a high-risk operation. Tragically for the two hostages held by al-Qaida militants in rural Yemeni, it didn’t come off. US drones yesterday zeroed in on southern Yemen, firing a missile that killed nine al-Qaida fighters. Then Yemeni jets strafed the area and ground troops moved in, while American helicopters crammed with commandos buzzed overheard.

But when the elite unit finally landed in a tiny village in southern Shabwa province and burst into a string of homes, searching for American Luke Somers, a 33-year-old photojournalist, and South African teacher Pierre Korkie, it was too late.

“When forces entered the place where the hostages were being held, they called on the kidnappers to give themselves up because they were surrounded on all sides,” a senior Yemeni intelligence source told Reuters news agency. “But the kidnappers immediately killed two hostages, which prompted the forces to open fire on the kidnappers. They tried to give first aid to the hostages but they had lost their lives.”

US forces airlifted Somers and Korkie to a navy warship, but both men died soon after. Eight Yemeni civilians were also killed during the raid, a tribal elder told the New York Times.

“The United States strongly condemns the barbaric murder of Luke Somers at the hands of al-Qaida terrorists,” said President Barack Obama, who added that he ordered the raid because “Luke’s life was in imminent danger. As this and previous hostage rescue operations demonstrate, the United States will spare no effort to use all of its military, intelligence and diplomatic capabilities to bring Americans home safely, wherever they are located.”

British foreign secretary Philip Hammond offered his condolences to the families of both men and condemned the attack. He said: “Luke had close links with the UK and his family have spoken about Luke’s life and his work, and that is how he should be remembered. I salute the forces involved, who showed great courage in carrying out this mission. We continue to work with our international and Yemeni partners to counter the threat from al Qaida and other terrorist groups.”

It was the second failed attempt in the last fortnight to release Somers, who was snatched from outside a supermarket in the Yemeni capital last autumn. The previous raid freed eight hostages held near the Saudi border, but Somers had been moved several days earlier. On Wednesday, his captors released a video of him pleading for help, and threatened to kill him by the end of the week if their unspecified demands were not met. That message may have pushed Washington, which does not pay ransoms for American captives, to launch a second risky rescue bid.