In a daring nighttime raid Tuesday, U.S. Navy SEALs rescued two hostages, including one American, who were being held by kidnappers in Somalia, U.S. officials tell NBC News.
American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and a 60-year-old Dane, Poul Thisted, were working for a Danish relief organization in northern Somalia when they were kidnapped last October. U.S. officials described their kidnappers as heavily armed common criminals with no known ties to any organized militant group.
According to the U.S. officials, two teams of Navy SEALs landed by helicopter near the compound where the two hostages were being held. As the SEALS approached the compound on foot gunfire broke out, the U.S. officials said, and several of the militants were reportedly killed. There is no word that any of the Americans were wounded.
The SEALs gathered up Buchanan and Thisted, loaded them onto the helicopters and flew them to safety at an undisclosed location. The two hostages were not injured during the rescue operation and are reported to be in relatively good condition.
The two had been working for the Danish Refugee Council on a demining project in northern Somalia. The humanitarian group has been providing relief to some 450,000 refugees in the Somalia-Kenya border region.
No word yet if Obama suffered any injuries in rushing to make sure the rescue becomes fodder for his re-election campaign.
Crossposted at Wizbang.
Way to go OBAMA!!! good job!
Posted by: T. Plums | Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 07:35 AM
Well there you have it once again Rick. Barack Obama darts into a phone booth and emerges under the cover of darkness as a Navy SEAL Team and rescues the world!
And he was back in the white house before the sun came up this morning...
Yeppers! Way to go O Man.
Unfrigging believable
Thankfully we have Navy Seals capable of carrying out missions like this and a command structure that will authorize it, regardless of who is sitting behind the Resolute desk.
Posted by: Locutisprime | Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 09:41 AM