President Trump ordered his first covert counterterrorism mission in Yemen without "sufficient intelligence, ground support, or adequate backup preparations," Reuters reported Thursday via three unnamed U.S. military officials.
That inadequate information contributed to the operation's poor outcome, including the death of one U.S. soldier and more than a dozen civilians. The "attacking SEAL team found itself dropping onto a reinforced al Qaeda base defended by landmines, snipers, and a larger than expected contingent of heavily armed Islamist extremists," the officials told Reuters.
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