We have three reports, first this: U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel says ISIL threat bigger than 9/11: bit.ly/1pWZ3pP
Also this report: US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon Thursday that the Islamic State (IS, formally ISIS) terror militia “is as sophisticated and well-funded as any group that we have seen. They’re beyond just a terrorist group. They marry ideology [with] a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess. They are tremendously well-funded…this is beyond anything that we’ve seen.” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey agreed, adding “It’s an immediate threat; that is to say, the fighters who may leave the current fight and migrate home.” US warplanes continued their strikes against IS positions in northern Iraq on Thursday, and Hagel responded to a question about expanding air operations into neighboring Syria by saying “We’re looking at all options.” Read More
And this report: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has defended the decision to formally acknowledge a failed mission to rescue American journalist James Foley and others held in Syria earlier this year, amid criticism from Republicans over the disclosure.
The White House and Defense Department, in a rare public confirmation of a covert mission, acknowledged late Wednesday that President Obama sent special operations troops to Syria this summer on a secret mission to rescue American hostages held by Islamic State extremists. The mission was not successful.
Hagel echoed White House and State Department claims, though, in saying the only reason they acknowledged the mission was because media outlets already knew about it.
“There were a number of news outlets that were aware of the action, of the raid,” he said Thursday. “It was a decision made by the administration, which we concurred with, to address the mission.”
The statement follows criticism from Republicans, regarding both the formal acknowledgement and the apparent leak beforehand to some members of the press.
Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, on Thursday called for an investigation into the leak.
“Successful or not, such operations are incredibly sensitive, even after they have concluded. Disclosure of these missions puts our troops at risk, reduces the likelihood that future missions will succeed, and risks the lives of hostages and informants alike,” he said in a statement. “While I believe it was unwise for the White House and Department of Defense to formally acknowledge this operation; it is outrageous that someone would be so selfish and short sighted to leak it to the media.”
He urged Hagel and other officials to investigate the matter “immediately and thoroughly.”
The disclosure prompted comparisons to past leaks from the administration, regarding details of the successful Usama bin Laden raid and other operations.
“This is sort of the same thing,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told Fox News. “One can’t help but assume that this is sort of [to try] to help the PR, that they tried to rescue the hostages.”
In some cases, the administration has launched investigations into security leaks — and has come under criticism from free press and whistleblower groups for aggressively prosecuting the leakers.
In this case, critics voiced concerns that the disclosure jeopardizes other hostages.
Hagel said “there’s always risks” in any decision they make.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Hard said the administration had no intention of making the mission public, but was forced to do so because reporters were preparing to publish stories about it.
The administration revealed the rescue operation a day after the militants released a video showing the beheading of Foley and threatened to kill a second hostage, Steven Sotloff, if U.S. airstrikes against the militants in Iraq continued.
The disclosure of the rescue mission marks the first time the U.S. has revealed that American military personnel have been on the ground in Syria since a bloody civil war there broke out more than three years ago. Obama has resisted calls to insert the U.S. military in the middle of Syria’s war, a cautious approach his critics say has allowed the Islamic State to strengthen there and make gains across the border in Iraq, where the U.S. is now conducting airstrikes.
