Al-Qaida hostages were killed in U.S. raid, White House says
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WASHINGTON – The White House acknowledged Thursday that two hostages held by al-Qaida were accidentally killed by a U.S. government counterterrorism operation in January and said President Barack Obama “takes full responsibility.”
In a statement, the White House said intelligence agencies had confirmed that Warren Weinstein, an American held by al-Qaida since 2011, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian held since 2012, died during the operation.
“The operation targeted an al-Qaida-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-Qaida, Ahmed Farouq and Adam Gadahn, were also killed in U.S. 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.
Obama will make a personal statement in the White House briefing room Thursday, aides said.
“The president directed that the information being shared today, which was properly classified until now, be declassified and shared with the American people,” the White House statement said. “He takes full responsibility for these operations and believes it is important to provide the American people with as much information as possible about our counterterrorism operations, particularly when they take the lives of fellow citizens.”
The White House said the operation that killed the two hostages “was lawful and conducted consistent with our counterterrorism policies” but nonetheless the government is conducting a “thorough independent review” to determine what happened and how such casualties could be avoided in the future.
“Many within our government spent years attempting to locate and free Dr. Weinstein and Mr. Lo Porto,” the statement said. “The pain of their deaths will remain with us as we rededicate ourselves to adhering to the most exactly standards in doing all we can to protect the American people.”