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| Father of US commando killed in Yemen refused to meet Trump | Father of US commando killed in Yemen refused to meet Trump |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| The father of a US Navy Seal killed in a raid on a suspected al-Qaeda compound in Yemen last month has said that he refused to meet US President Donald Trump when his son's body arrived home. | The father of a US Navy Seal killed in a raid on a suspected al-Qaeda compound in Yemen last month has said that he refused to meet US President Donald Trump when his son's body arrived home. |
| "I'm sorry, I don't want to see him," he said he told a chaplain at the time. | "I'm sorry, I don't want to see him," he said he told a chaplain at the time. |
| The raid on 28 January was the first such operation authorised by Mr Trump. | The raid on 28 January was the first such operation authorised by Mr Trump. |
| Bill Owens, whose son William "Ryan" Owens was killed, told the Miami Herald that "the government owes my son an investigation". | Bill Owens, whose son William "Ryan" Owens was killed, told the Miami Herald that "the government owes my son an investigation". |
| "Why at this time did there have to be this stupid mission when it wasn't even barely a week into his administration? Why?" he said in an interview with the newspaper published on Sunday. | "Why at this time did there have to be this stupid mission when it wasn't even barely a week into his administration? Why?" he said in an interview with the newspaper published on Sunday. |
| "For two years prior, there were no boots on the ground in Yemen - everything was missiles and drones - because there was not a target worth one American life. Now, all of a sudden we had to make this grand display?'' | "For two years prior, there were no boots on the ground in Yemen - everything was missiles and drones - because there was not a target worth one American life. Now, all of a sudden we had to make this grand display?'' |
| US raid on al-Qaeda in Yemen: What we know | US raid on al-Qaeda in Yemen: What we know |
| The raid - approved by President Trump just six days after he took office - is believed to have killed several civilians, including children. | The raid - approved by President Trump just six days after he took office - is believed to have killed several civilians, including children. |
| Three other Americans were wounded in the raid, planning for which began under the Obama administration. | Three other Americans were wounded in the raid, planning for which began under the Obama administration. |
| A report in the New York Times alleged that the mission had been compromised early on - something the commandos knew from intercepted communications, the paper said. | A report in the New York Times alleged that the mission had been compromised early on - something the commandos knew from intercepted communications, the paper said. |
| "They kind of knew they were screwed from the beginning," it quoted a former Seal Team 6 official as saying. | "They kind of knew they were screwed from the beginning," it quoted a former Seal Team 6 official as saying. |
| But the military disputed this, saying there was no evidence the mission was compromised. | But the military disputed this, saying there was no evidence the mission was compromised. |
| White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Sunday that she believed President Trump would support an investigation. | |
| "The mission has a lot of different critics, but it did yield a substantial amount of very important intel and resources that helped save American lives and other lives,'' she said. | "The mission has a lot of different critics, but it did yield a substantial amount of very important intel and resources that helped save American lives and other lives,'' she said. |
| Mr Owens said he was told that his son was killed early on in a fierce gunfight that erupted with AQAP militants. | Mr Owens said he was told that his son was killed early on in a fierce gunfight that erupted with AQAP militants. |
| A flag-draped casket bearing his body was flown to Dover Air Base on 1 February for a private ceremony. Mr Owens said he only learned that President Trump and his daughter Ivanka were on their way when he was already there. | A flag-draped casket bearing his body was flown to Dover Air Base on 1 February for a private ceremony. Mr Owens said he only learned that President Trump and his daughter Ivanka were on their way when he was already there. |
| "I told them I didn't want to make a scene about it, but my conscience wouldn't let me talk to him," he said. | "I told them I didn't want to make a scene about it, but my conscience wouldn't let me talk to him," he said. |
| A military veteran, he told the Miami Herald that Mr Trump's comments during the presidential campaign about the family of a dead Muslim US soldier had disturbed him. | A military veteran, he told the Miami Herald that Mr Trump's comments during the presidential campaign about the family of a dead Muslim US soldier had disturbed him. |
| He said that the White House should not "hide behind" his son's death to ignore criticism of the raid. | He said that the White House should not "hide behind" his son's death to ignore criticism of the raid. |
| William "Ryan" Owens, a 36-year-old married father of three, was a member of the elite Seal Team 6. | William "Ryan" Owens, a 36-year-old married father of three, was a member of the elite Seal Team 6. |