President Barack Obama sent U.S. Special Operations Forces to Syria earlier this year in an attempt to rescue multiple American hostages held captive by the Islamic State (IS), including American journalist James Foley, who was brutally murdered by the extremist group.
The operation was unsuccessful, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said, because the hostages were not being held at the location where U.S. forces were dispatched.
"The United States attempted a rescue operation recently to free a number of American hostages held in Syria by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. This operation involved air and ground components and was focused on a particular captor network within ISIL. Unfortunately, the mission was not successful because the hostages were not present at the targeted location," Kirby said.
U.S. officials told The Associated Press and other publications that several-dozen U.S. troops participated in the operation in eastern Syria. One U.S. soldier was injured while a "number" of ISIS militants were killed, according to the AP.
......
