14 al Qaeda fighters killed in US raid in Yemen, one special ops troop dies from wounds

Washington Post:
One U.S. service member died of wounds suffered during a weekend raid against al-Qaeda militants in Yemen, the military said on Sunday.

Three more American troops were wounded in the operation on Saturday against members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the militant organization that has remained a potent threat amid an extended civil conflict in Yemen.

The incident marks the first time a member of the U.S. military has died in a combat situation since President Trump took office a little over a week ago. Trump has promised a more aggressive campaign against militant groups worldwide.

In a statement, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees operations in the Middle East, said that a U.S. aircraft went down in a “hard landing” near the area where the operation took place, and was intentionally destroyed.

CENTCOM said that 14 militants were killed in the operation.
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It is not clear whether the wounds were caused by the fighting or the hard landing.   There may have been an attempt to gather intelligence during the raid by the special ops forces, otherwise, drones or other aircraft would have been used.  It is possible that attack helicopters were also involved in the operation, although they typically don't carry more than two people.

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