An American commando was killed in Yemen during a firefight with al-Qaida militants over the weekend.
The commando was killed and three others were injured on Sunday, during the first counterterrorism operation authorized by President Donald Trump, according to The New York Times.
“Americans are saddened this morning with news that a life of a heroic service member has been taken in our fight against the evil of radical Islamic terrorism,” Trump said in a statement following the incident, according to Reuters.
Trump referred to the operation as a success, saying significant intelligence information was discovered during the attack.
According to the New York Post, U.S. Central Command said the Navy SEAL’s Team 6 confiscated “militants’ laptops, cell phones and other material.”
The Command said they expect the information discovered to “provide insight into the planning of future terror plots.”
The battle reportedly went on for about an hour, and 14 al-Qaida militants are said to have been killed in the process.
Reuters reported that about 30 people were killed, including several women and children.
One child killed in the raid was the 8-year-old daughter of al-Qaida ideologue Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni preacher who died in a U.S. drone strike in 2011, according to reports.
“She was hit with a bullet in her neck and suffered for two hours,” said Nassar al-Awlaki, according to Reuters. “Why kill children? This is the new (U.S.) administration – it’s very sad, a big crime.”
“The operation began at dawn when a drone bombed the home of Abdulraoof al-Dhahab and then helicopters flew up and unloaded paratroopers at his house and killed everyone inside,” one resident said, according to Reuters.
This operation, which the Obama administration handed to Trump and his team, has been in the works for months, according to American officials.
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