Armed Forces News

Army Gen. Joseph Votel, the commander of U.S. Central Command, has taken “full responsibility” for the January raid into Yemen by special-operations troops that led to the death of a Navy SEAL and reported deaths of several Yemeni children. National Public Radio reported that Votel told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, “We lost a lot in that operation. We lost a valued operator, we had people wounded, we caused civilian casualties, lost an expensive aircraft.” Votel also said that the mission garnered “valuable information.” Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Ryan Owens died in the ill-fated Jan. 29 raid, which also resulted in the destruction of a CV-22 Osprey aircraft.