
Al-Kataib Media / MAXPPP via EPA
An undated TV grab of footage shot by Al-Kataib Media, made available by MAXPPP on Saturday, shows Denis Allex, a French hostage allegedly held by Somali militants, who was reportedly killed during a failed rescue mission by French soldiers.
WASHINGTON -- The United States helped France last week during an attempted rescue of a secret agent captured by insurgents in Somalia, President Barack Obama confirmed on Sunday in a letter to Congress.
The French team was trying to free Denis Allex, held since 2009 by al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, but insurgents apparently killed their hostage during the raid, along with a commando.
The French defense ministry said that 17 Somali fighters also died in the fight.
"United States combat aircraft briefly entered Somali airspace to support the rescue operation, if needed. These aircraft did not employ weapons during the operation," Obama said in his letter to U.S. lawmakers.
Obama sent the letter to Congress to fulfill his obligations under the War Powers Resolution, which requires him to inform policymakers within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action without congressional authorization.
Obama said the operation was warranted to further U.S. national security interests, and said U.S. forces "took no direct part in the assault on the compound where it was believed the French citizen was being held hostage."
Editing by Philip Barbara, Reuters
Related stories:
Officials: French agent held by al-Qaida group in Somalia killed in rescue attempt
Somali troops take control of al-Shabab stronghold Kismayo
D-Day for al-Qaida in Somalia? Troops storm beaches at last stronghold
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

The US military is in over 30 countries on the African continent.
OBAMA STOP DOING THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Each of them is being armed by US weapons companies.
Islamists are not a big threat no matter WHAT Obama says ( in Africa) but the CIA is fomenting TROUBLE !!!!!!!!!!!!
DARFUR.
Lee : what you are saying its america you fear, not jihadists.. now ive heard everything
Sorry to hear about the French agent. Not sorry for the terrorists, however.
Just nuke that whole coastline & gettit' over with!
"Obama said the operation was warranted to further U.S. national security interests,"
No troops on the ground. Just carpet bomb the most dangerous Islamic extremist hot spots.
Even nuking may be a good idea for world peace.
Whatever happened to all of that Napalm we had left over from the Vietnam war? I can think of some great places to dispose of it.
Yes. Clean all Napalm, old bombs and others going to expire on Islamic extremist areas.
It will mean less nuisances on earth.
I believe most napalm was 'mixed as req'd.' but I know we are saving all the stockpiled mines for OUR southern border! New weapons testing should be channeled to that african region though as we now can move a COASTLINE inland 100 miles at a time!!
Why is this in the news? The President is supposed to account to Congress not the nation. Shouting from the highest point that America failed against Somalians is just self-deprecating.
I would dearly like to see "covert American action" to remain covert. Why are we announcing our strategies and support to enemies of America? It seems this administration seeks to keep the wrong acitions of our Government transparent.
I don't know, maybe because the last time something small went wrong in Africa, Fox News had wall-to-wall coverage for weeks about a "cover-up". Congressional Republicans use "Benghazi!" as a war cry; Obama's not going to give them another opening like that.
Apples and Oranges...The President and people in his administration did try to cover up the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi. The tried to cover it up because someone in his administration denied the aid that Ambassador Stevens was begging for from the State Department. This Administration showed that it was not willing to support the needs of a legitimate embassy in a country where The Obama administration toppled the Government so that the Muslim Brotherhood could make Libya a zealot strong hold.
This failed opperation into Somalia was assisting an allied country to regain a citizen. At face value a noble gesture. But shouting from the rooftops that a French led mission was a failure and that we were involved in not necessary. Send a sealed report to Congress and meet the standard for the law.
It seems more and more frequent that this President and those in his administration seem to relish American failure.
Sorry, stopped reading here. Good God. If you honestly believe that the only reason the President of the United States helped bring down a brutal dictator was to create a terrorist breeding ground, then there's no point arguing with you. The man could single-handedly cure cancer, and you'd still hate him for it (look at all the cancer-research jobs he's killing! He must really hate America!).
yeahbuhwah...I really don't see Obama curing anything ever...his press conference was a raging mess of incongruity statements. He looked stoned, he spoke in a very disconnected style and he did his share to say that the Republicans refused to compromise and yet unless they pass legislation the way the President wants it written he will ask for their blessing to deal via Executive Degree.
As for the ME...are you completely missing the pattern....Out with Mubarak in with the Muslim Brother hood, Out with Gadhafi in with the Muslim Brotherhood. We are doing all we can to oust Assad so that the Muslim Brotherhood can take control. WE spent years in Iraq trying to outs an evil dictator only to leave and watch the Muslim Brotherhood trying to take the country. Now let's look at Afghanistan...we are now planing to reduce out troop presence a cry of Karzai's from 2010 and yet now that the President has announced the wide range plans to leave Karzai doesn't seem so keen on that plan. I know it showed well in 2010 to grouse and demand US troops leave but even Karzai knows that the Muslim Brotherhood are just ready to knock that door down in Afghanistan. As he said, he is looking forward to being the former President and wishes for elections. Of course he wishes for elections, if he isn't President no one can hunt him down to kill him, as has been the general method of an Obama administration/Arab Spring determination. IF we do not support a democracy in Afghanistan we are handing the Muslim Brotherhood (Iran) a nuclear nation.
So given recent history why is Obama so intent on creating a monster that answers to Iran and will certainly threaten our allies in the ME?
The Muslim Brotherhood = Iran? You...don't know much about politics in that region, do you?
Or...oh, I get it. Bravo, I've been trolled. Well played, ma'am.
Yeah...Iran is supporting a good many dissident groups in that region. They aren't going to currently worry about who is in place strategically as long as they get anti-America in place. They can go back and clean up later. The game for them is strategic control.
Here is just one of many articles that support the conclusions and predictions that I have made here.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/11/2012111311424048459.html
Perhaps if you were a bit more open to receiving information you could have actually rebutted in some informative way.
I'm not sure obtaining your facts for your conclusions and predictions should be from an opinion piece written by Iranian royalty. It just seems kind of tainted. I'm glad that you read and attempt to stay on top of the issues. Yeahbuhwha seemed to have a valid point though, it doesn't matter what Obama does, it will still get twisted. You should pray that Obama never says that drinking water is healthy for you, otherwise a whole bunch of conservatives will fall over dead soon after from dehydration after discussing how water is obviously a government ploy to take over the US or that our water supply has been poisoned by the Muslim Brotherhood. Since Obama obviously is out to destroy America, you should count your blessings he doesn't have access to nuclear launch codes. That would be a bad situation indeed.
From the way Islamic extremists, especially Sunni ones, are inventing problems all over the world, it is going to be clash of religions: Islamic extremists vs the rest (sane Muslims, females and non-Muslims) within a decade.
You don't like women do you?
You list them separate like they are lower creatures.
Sane Muslims
Non muslims
women.
This poor man.. Well, sh1t.. Lets do what everyone else says and nuke those terrorist! I'm sure we got a few hundred lying around..
So why didn't our guys join in the fight?
We stand back and watch.
Leading from the rear.
Should we send in a special forces team every time some other country's agent gets busted? This was a French mess, and the French should've been able to handle it. Being a leader doesn't mean you have to have boots on the ground everywhere in the freaking world.
Our guys didn't join in the fight because it was not a US national that was involved. It was a French national and the French most likely wanted to handle it themselves. War is not a game of CoD. I am glad that US lives were not risked by having them involved directly in the fight. IF we would have had troops there, then you would see a dozen comments like: Why were we there? Why can't the French handle it themselves? Why do we always have to get involved? Why is Obama killing off American troops? Obama is just trying to kill off US troops so that the Muslim Brotherhood can take over more easily. Why has the US been at war for 216 years out of the last 237 ? Yeah...21 years of peace, less than 10% of our nation's history, and we wonder why we have a problem with violence in this country.
US has a counterterrorism operation center in Djibouti (Somalia's northwestern state) where special ops and drones (armed Predators) are launched in the Somalia/Yemen theaters. Perhapds the intel was not quite correct that led to the deaths of 2 French spec.ops forces. Al-Shabaab's Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musal tells AQ sites that they will display the corpses and he claims that DGCE/France agent Denis Allex is still alive. Al-Shabaab ousted the American jihadist-terrorist ,but how many Somalis from EU and US are still there? Why did Pres,Obama notify Congress now based on The War Powers Act when US special ops/ drones/F-15s are in Camp Lemonnier- have been there for over 3 yrs.
He is learning on the job.
Search and Destroy operations just like in Nam is needed in places like this. A force of international soldiers can reduce the insurgents significantly if given the chance, and operations such as the surge in Iraq will do the job in a shorter time. It's time to take the gloves off and dole out some serious punishment to bring this to a realistic conclusion...!!!!!