Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012
The Shuttle
Page 3
Around the Navy Navy Seals Rescue Two Aid Workers In Somalia In Daring Raid By Luis Martinez, ABC News A U.S. special operations team of Navy SEALs conducted a rescue mission into Somalia Tuesday night to free two aid workers, including an American woman, who had been held hostage for three months by Somali criminals. 32-year-old Jessica Buchanan, from Bedford, Virginia and 60-yearold Poul Hagen Thisted, of Denmark, were kidnapped on October 25 by a band of Somali criminals while on their way to the airport in the Galcayo located in central Somalia. Both were working for the Danish Refugee Group’s Danish Demining Group, DDG. In a statement released by the White House, President Obama said he had authorized a rescue mission on Monday. “Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our Special Operations Forces, yesterday Jessica Buchanan was rescued and she is on her way home. As Commander-inChief, I could not be prouder of the
troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts,” Obama said in the statement. The President said he spoke with Buchanan’s father Monday night, “and told him that all Americans have Jessica in our thoughts and prayers, and give thanks that she will soon be reunited with her family.” “The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice. This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people,” he added. Obama made no mention of the successful raid during his State of the Union speech last night, though keen observers noted an interesting exchange with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as he entered the House Chamber. Obama pointed to Panetta and said, “Leon. Good job tonight. Good job tonight.”
In a statement released Wednesday, Panetta said he was pleased that neither Buchanan or Thisted were harmed during the operation. “This mission demonstrates our military’s commitment to the safety of our fellow citizens wherever they may be around the world,” he said. Panetta described the rescue as “a team effort and required close coordination, especially between the Department of Defense and our colleagues in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. ” The Danish Refugee Council also confirmed the rescue in a statement and said, “The two aid workers from the Danish Refugee Council’s demining unit, DDG, are both unharmed and at a safe location. ” A U.S. official says that the rescue mission began around 2 a.m. local time as team of Navy SEALs parachuted into the area near the compound where the two aid workers were being held. As they approached the compound the official says there was a firefight, but there were no American casualties.
Obama Sets Military As Example For Country By Kate Brannen, Defense News President Obama bookended a State of the Union address largely focused on the economy with tributes to the U.S. military. At a time when the military consistently ranks No. 1 and Congress dead last in public opinion polls, Obama urged lawmakers to follow the military’s example of teamwork and selfless sacrifice. To highlight this point, the president finished his speech Tuesday by talking about the raid that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in May. Politics did not matter to the Navy SEAL team responsible for carrying out the mission and it did not matter to the people gathered in the Situation Room in the White House, Obama said. As Obama spoke, Navy Adm. William McRaven, who oversaw the bin Laden raid, sat with first lady Michelle Obama as a special guest in her viewing box. “All that mattered that day was the mission,” Obama said.
The message to lawmakers: put political differences aside and work together. However, many of the initiatives put forward by the president received little applause from Republicans in the audience. With the election in November, many viewed the speech as an opening argument in the president’s political campaign and an opportunity to highlight the differences between the parties’ platforms. While much of the speech was devoted to the economy, Obama outlined what he viewed were his national security achievements over the past year, including killing bin Laden, ending the war in Iraq and helping oust Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. It was on foreign policy that the president received some of the loudest bipartisan applause. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers were quick to stand and support the president’s comments on Syria. “I have no doubt that the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change can’t be reversed, and that human dignity can’t be denied,” Obama said.