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            Obama Condemns 'Barbaric Murder' of US Hostage in Yemen

   by VOA News

   U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday condemned the "barbaric murder"
   of U.S. hostage Luke Somers in Yemen during a rescue attempt by U.S.
   forces late Friday.

   "On behalf of the American people, I offer my deepest condolences to
   Luke's family and to his loved ones," Obama said in a statement," he
   said.

   American photojournalist Luke Somers has been killed during a rescue
   attempt by American commandos in Yemen.

   U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel confirmed Saturday that Somers
   and a non-U.S. hostage were "murdered" by their al-Qaida in the Arabian
   Peninsula captors during a rescue attempt late Friday. The other
   hostage has now been identified as South African aid worker Pierre
   Korkie. Somers was kidnapped in September of 2013.

   Hagel says several terrorists were also killed during the rescue
   attempt, which he says was made because there were "compelling reasons
   to believe Somers' life was in imminent danger."

   Secretary of State John Kerry said the rescue operation was a "reminder
   of the brutality" of the AQAP terrorists.

   Korkie's charity, the Gift of Givers, said the South African aid
   worker's death came a day before he was due to be freed after more than
   a year in captivity.

   Earlier Saturday, Yemeni officials said a suspected U.S. drone strike
   targeted an area in the southern Shabwa province, killing nine al-Qaida
   militants.

   It was not immediately clear whether the strike was part of the
   American rescue for Somers who was kidnapped last year in Sana'a by
   AQAP.

   U.S. officials have confirmed that American commandos failed to rescue
   Somers in Yemen recently because he was not at the targeted site.

   The militant group AQAP released a video Thursday featuring Somers in
   which it said it would kill the 33-year-old photojournalist if the U.S.
   government did not meet its unspecified demands within three days. In
   the video, a man who said he is Somers said he is certain his life is
   in danger.

   In the video, a militant warned the United States of what he called
   "any other foolish action," but it was not clear if that was a
   reference to the raid or to the ongoing U.S. drone strikes against
   AQAP.  The strikes have targeted militants but also led to civilian
   casualties.

   AQAP is one of the most active branches of al-Qaida, and militants have
   launched attacks from Yemen against the West, including the failed
   attempt to blow up a U.S.-bound aircraft in 2009.

   Al-Qaida and its affiliates are believed to make tens of millions of
   dollars annually in ransom for hostages and have condemned the widely
   publicized hostage killings by its rival, the Islamic State.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/hagel-says-hostage-is-dead/2548331.ht
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/hagel-says-hostage-is-dead/2548331.html