Frenchies tried to pull a Seal Team Six

[demonhero]

1 French boy dead, and 1 possibly captured. and a mission failure. Dear French boys - not everybody can be like the good ole USA.

(MOGADISHU, Somalia) — A French commando raid in Somalia to free a captive intelligence agent ended in the deaths of 17 Islamists and a French soldier. France said the hostage also died in the failed rescue, but the man’s captors denied he had been killed and claimed Saturday to have seized a second soldier.

Confusion surrounded early reports of the botched rescue of the French agent, known by his code-name Denis Allex. He was captured in the east African country on July 14, 2009, and last seen in a video released in October pleading for the French president to help him.

But it was clear that a dangerous raid the French defense minister said was planned with the utmost of care had gone horribly wrong.

(PHOTOS: Somalia’s Catastrophic Famine)

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Allex was killed by his captors and that one French soldier was missing and one dead, along with 17 Islamists. The Defense Ministry earlier said two commandos were killed in the fighting in the Somali town of Bulomarer.

“It was an extremely dangerous mission,” Le Drian said. “Everything indicates Denis Allex was killed.”

The militant Islamist group al-Shabab, which held Allex for more than three years, said Saturday that he remained alive and in its custody, as was a new captive — a French commando wounded in fighting.

Le Drian said the operation in Somalia was unrelated to the French offensive overnight in Mali to drive back Islamist militants in the west African country. There are seven French hostages in Mali.

Residents of Bulomarer described hearing explosions and gunfire from what they called an al-Shabab base. An al-Shabab official said that fighting began after helicopters dropped off French soldiers.

“Five helicopters attacked a house in the town. They dropped soldiers off on the ground so that they could reach their destination … but fighting has broken out,” he said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The French attack was swift and loud, residents said.

(VIDEO: How a Drought Became a Famine in Somalia)

“We heard a series of explosions followed by gunfire just seconds after a helicopter flew over the town,” Mohamed Ali, a resident of Bulomarer, told The Associated Press by telephone. “We don’t know exactly what happened, but the place was an al-Shabab base and checkpoint.”

The al-Shabab official said some soldiers were killed, but the group held only one dead French soldier. Later, the Islamist group released a statement saying that Allex “remains safe and far from the location of the battle.” It said there would be a verdict in his case in two days.

Allex was kidnapped from a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, on July 14, 2009 with a colleague who later escaped. They were in Somalia to train government forces, which are fighting Islamist militiamen.

In October, French President Francois Hollande pledged to “use all means” to contact “anyone who can help free our hostages.”

In 2009, a Frenchman held hostage by pirates off the Somali coast was killed in the crossfire during a commando rescue on his captive sailboat. The man’s family was rescued.

And in 2011, two French hostages kidnapped in Niger were killed by their captors as French troops closed in for a rescue.

Read more: http://world.time.com/2013/01/12/com...#ixzz2HmccWcXc

[alpha_omega]

Vive la France!

[Bwana]

Originally Posted by frazod

Still, much like our failed Iran rescue years ago, at least they tried.

I agree with this. I have zero use for the French, but at least they grew a set in this case and gave it a shot.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Thig Lyfe

Yeah the USA sure has never had any sort of military operation go wrong in Somalia, nope, never.

The military changed how it carries out missions since Somalia in the Clinton era. Thats why we are successful now.

[PornChief]

more like Blackhawk down

[RedDread]

Originally Posted by Thig Lyfe

Yeah the USA sure has never had any sort of military operation go wrong in Somalia, nope, never.

Black Hawk Totally Operational. Nothing to see Here Folks!

[Bo's Pelini]

Amerika is the best!

[PornChief]

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

Amerika is the best!

BACK TO BACK WORLD WAR CHAMPIONS

[Thig Lyfe]

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

Amerika is the best!

USA! USA! USA!

[Lonewolf Ed]

Originally Posted by frazod

Sure, in a straight up fight. But the mission was a failure.

Still, much like our failed Iran rescue years ago, at least they tried.

Exactly! Several nations just cave and pay ransom to the pirates. That will show them! The only way to stop the pirates is to make it too dangerous for them to be pirates.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf Ed

Exactly! Several nations just cave and pay ransom to the pirates. That will show them! The only way to stop the pirates is to make it too dangerous for them to be pirates.

Do you think its just happenstance that Americans are rarely kidnapped anymore in Somalia? That message has been sent loud and clear.

The only ones that mess with us now are the gangs with loose Al-Quaeda ties.

[Lonewolf Ed]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Do you think its just happenstance that Americans are rarely kidnapped anymore in Somalia? That message has been sent loud and clear.

The only ones that mess with us now are the gangs with loose Al-Quaeda ties.

I don't think it is at all. I know the Russians don't have any sympathy for them, either, and have seen the videos to prove it! There is no reasoning with them, so the only option is to make chum out of them and improve the fishing in the area.

[MOhillbilly]

Shoulda contacted the A Team.

[ChiefRocka]

Originally Posted by Thig Lyfe

Yeah the USA sure has never had any sort of military operation go wrong in Somalia, nope, never.

Yeah but they werent "Seal Team 6" though...

['Hamas' Jenkins]

"What do you figure, the breakage?"

"Figure we take out the terrorists, lose 20-25 percent of the hostages."

"I can live with that."

[crossbow]

I saw on a documentary that is cost over a million dollars to train a Navy Seal. Each seal has the fire power of 100 men. We had an ex-seal in our group at work. A dumb-ass manager tried to intimidate him by staring him down. We just laughed knowing that was doing no good. These people are not to be trifled with.