US special forces were sent to rescue hostages in Syria
The Pentagon reported that US military forces secretly raided Syria recently in an unsuccessful attempt to free American journalist James Foley before he was murdered by IS – in response to sharp criticism for not doing enough to save his lilfe. The raid involved dozens of special operations forces from all US military services, including the 160th special operations aviation regiment. They flew into Syria in defiance of air defense batteries in modified Black Hawk helicopters, with “armed fixed-wing aircraft and drones” providing cover for forces on the ground. Yet the operation failed after a firefight with IS forces when “the hostages were not present at the targeted location,” said Rear Admiral John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary.