Yemen Raid Disaster: Trump Or Military Responsible For Ryan Owens’ Death?

A four-star general and the head of the United States Central Command took full responsibility Thursday for the botched January raid in Yemen, which resulted in the death of a Navy SEAL. President Donald Trump seemingly rested the blame at the military’s feet, Military Times reported.

Army Gen. Joseph Votel, who’s held his position since March 2016, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that between four and 12 civilians were killed in Jan. 29's raid. It also resulted in the death of SEAL Team 6 member and Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan" Owens and 14 militants.

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Though planning for the raid against Al Qaeda in central Yemen initially began under former President Barack Obama, it was the first such counterterrorism action under Trump’s administration.

"First and foremost I am responsible for this mission. I am the CENTCOM commander and I am responsible for what's done in my region and what's not done in my region. So I accept the responsibility for this. We lost a lot on this operation," Votel said.

Following the hearing, The Hill asked Votel if Trump should have been the one to take the blame.

"I think that might be — that’s — that — this was a military operation and I’m responsible for military operations in this region, so I’m taking my responsibility," Votel responded.

During an interview with Fox News late last month, Trump appeared to rest Owens’ death as well as the overall mission on the military.

"This was a mission that was started before I got here. This was something that was, you know, just they wanted to do. They came to see me. They explained what they wanted to do, the generals, who are very respected," Trump said. "My generals are the most respected that we've had in many decades I believe. And they lost Ryan."

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Days after the raid, Al Qaeda training videos were released to show the operation was a success, but shortly after the Defense Department admitted the clips were about 10 years old. However, Pentagon officials stated the intelligence gained from the operation was still strong, according to The New York Times.