U.S. Drone Strike in Pakistan Killed American and Italian Held by Qaeda
The White House acknowledged on Thursday that two hostages held by al Qaeda were accidentally killed by an American government counterterrorism operation in January and said President Obama “takes full responsibility.”
In an extraordinary statement, the White House said intelligence agencies had confirmed that Warren Weinstein, an American held by al Qaeda since 2011, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian held since 2012, died during the operation.
“The operation targeted an al-Qaeda-associated compound, where we had no reason to believe either hostage was present, located in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan,” the statement said. “No words can fully express our regret over this tragedy.”
Two other Americans who belonged to al Qaeda, Ahmed Farouq and Adam Gadahn, were also killed in American operations in the same region, the statement said. Neither had been specifically targeted and their presence at the sites of the operations was not known at the time, the statement said.
Mr. Obama will make a personal statement in the White House briefing room at 10 a.m., aides said.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/world/asia/2-qaeda-hostages-were-accidentally-killed-in-us-raid-white-house-says.html?emc=edit_na_20150423
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