U.S. servicemember killed in hostage rescue in Afghanistan: White House

inShare0Share this Email Print Related NewsAfghan leader says to raise spy attack with Pakistan Sat, Dec 8 2012 Bomber posing as peace envoy wounds Afghan spy chief Thu, Dec 6 2012 Suicide bombers attack U.S. base in Afghanistan Sun, Dec 2 2012 Two killed in suicide bomb attack near Kabul NATO base Wed, Nov 21 2012 Pakistan starts Afghan Taliban prisoner release: official Wed, Nov 14 2012Analysis & OpinionAfghanistan: a long war, and still in search of a strategy Fighting the Filibuster Sun Dec 9, 2012 5:48pm EST (Reuters) - WASHINGTON - A U.S. service member was killed in Sunday's rescue mission that freed a doctor kidnapped by the Taliban, White House officials said. "Yesterday, our special operators in Afghanistan rescued an American citizen in a mission that was characteristic of the extraordinary courage, skill and patriotism that our troops show every day," the White House said in a statement. "Tragically, we lost one of our special operators in this effort. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, just as we must always honor our troops and military families." Dr. Dilip Joseph, the American rescued on Sunday, was abducted on Wednesday in the Sarobi district of Kabul province in Afghanistan, according to NATO-led forces. (Reporting by Phil Stewart and Paul Eckert) ================== 3,000 US troops secretly return to Iraq Sun, 09 Dec 2012 18:36:52 GMT Over 3,000 US troops have secretly returned to Iraq via Kuwait for missions pertaining to the recent developments in Syria and northern Iraq, Press TV reports. According to our correspondent, the US troops have secretly entered Iraq in multiple stages and are mostly stationed at Balad military garrison in Salahuddin province and al-Asad air base in al-Anbar province. Reports say the troops include US Army officers and almost 17,000 more are set to secretly return to Iraq via the same route. All US troops left Iraq by the end of 2011, after nine years of occupation, as required by a 2008 bilateral security agreement between the two countries. The troops left Iraq for the neighboring Kuwait. Washington decided to pull out all its troops from Iraq after Baghdad refused to grant legal immunity to the remaining US soldiers. Washington claims that the only US military presence left in Iraq now is 157 soldiers responsible for training at the US Embassy, as well as a small contingent of marines protecting the diplomatic mission. US-led forces attacked Iraq in 2003 and toppled Saddam Hussein on the pretext of possessing weapons of mass destruction. But no WMD was ever discovered in Iraq. At the peak of the US-led military operation in Iraq, there were 170,000 US troops and more than 500 bases in Iraq. More than one million Iraqis were killed as the result of the US-led invasion and subsequent occupation of the country, according to the California-based investigative organization Project Censored. == AP/ December 9, 2012, 6:00 PM U.S. special forces member killed during Afghan rescue 12 Comments / 1 Shares/ 2 Tweets/ Stumble/ Email More + . . . WASHINGTON A member of a U.S. special operations team was killed during a weekend rescue mission in Afghanistan that freed an American doctor abducted by the Taliban outside of Kabul five days ago. President Barack Obama praised the special forces on Sunday, saying the mission was characteristic of U.S. troops' "extraordinary courage, skill and patriotism." A spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan said Dr. Dilip Joseph of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was rescued early Sunday, local time, in eastern Afghanistan. Joseph, a medical adviser for Colorado Springs-based Morning Star Development, was rescued after intelligence showed he was in imminent danger of injury or possible death, according to the U.S. military. The U.S. did not immediately identify the special forces soldier killed in the mission. "He gave his life for his fellow Americans, and he and his teammates remind us once more of the selfless service that allows our nation to stay strong, safe and free," Obama said in a statement. In a separate statement Sunday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, "In this fallen hero, and all of our special operators, Americans see the highest ideals of citizenship, sacrifice and service upheld." Morning Star, a relief group that helps rebuild communities in Afghanistan, said in a statement that Joseph was uninjured and would probably return home in a few days. The group also said two of his co-workers were freed by their captors about 11 hours before the rescue, after hours of negotiations were conducted over three days. Morning Star said the three workers were abducted by a group of armed men while returning from a visit to one of the organization's rural medical clinics in eastern Kabul province. The group said the three workers were taken into mountains about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Pakistan border, The relief group said it would not reveal the identity of the other two men because they live and work in the region. The group said it did not pay ransom to obtain their release. Morning Star praised those who helped get their workers back unharmed, singling out "courageous members of the U.S. military who successfully rescued Mr. Joseph as they risked their own lives doing so." The group also offered thanks to local Afghan elders "who made visits and appeals to the captors advocating for the release of the hostages." Joseph was captured by Taliban insurgents on Wednesday in the Sarobi district of Kabul province. The rescue operation was ordered after intelligence showed that the doctor was in imminent danger of injury or possible death, according to a statement by the U.S.-led military coalition. "This was a combined operation of U.S. and Afghan forces," said 1st Lt. Joseph Alonso, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. "Information was collected through multiple intelligence sources, which allowed Afghan and coalition forces to identify the location of Joseph and the criminals responsible for his captivity." Gen. John Allen, the top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said the joint force planned, rehearsed and successfully conducted the operation. "Thanks to them, Dr. Joseph will soon be rejoining his family and loved ones," Allen said. © 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.